


Beauty and the Bat

by Moonsetta



Series: Beauty and the Bat [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Beauty and the Beast (1991), Nightwing (Comics), Red Rain - Fandom
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, Blood, Crossover, Fantasy, Helena Bertinelli/Jason Todd one-sided attraction, Love, M/M, Magic, Romance, Singing, Slade can't take no for an answer, Transformation, convenient weather, french words, red rain au, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 12:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4136928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonsetta/pseuds/Moonsetta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who could ever love a blood-sucking beast? Beauty and the Beast/Red Rain crossover AU? Is that even the correct wording? IDC! Staring you know who as you know who but I couldn't resist making Slade Wilson this story's Gaston. Sorry...NOT!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beauty and the Bat

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my gosh! I cannot believe that I actually went through with it. My DUO series, while a lot of fun has been rather over whelming and I did take time to work on some prompt writing with the Bruce WayneXDick Grayson couple but I spent so much time working on US (the one where they actually get together) that I took a fair amount of breaks along with the chaos following… a lot of IRL stuff…and ended up working on this occasionally. Plus, US is taking a lot longer than I thought thank you my betas for being so patient with a lot of crap going on in my life. So, I thought this could tide some people over while I continued to work on US and as things go...
> 
> I've decided to go back to school to get my associates in networking. I start tomorrow so if anyone wants to-wish me luck!
> 
> All I can say further is that oh my gosh-you readers are going to HHHHAAAATTTTEEEEE me!

_Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shadowed Manor. Although he had everything anyone could have ever desired, the prince was dark, shadowed, and unloving. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the Manor and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her attempt to garner compassion, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be closed off from hope, for love is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the Manor, and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his Manor, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-fifth year. If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return before the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for eternity. As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?_

  
[](http://s1381.photobucket.com/user/MoonsettaRays/media/bb%20banner%202_zpsqirf1yfy.jpg.html)  


* * *

The day was lit with mild sunshine, which was a big improvement from the previous day’s rainstorm, and Dick Grayson strode away from his home with a calm smile, his right hand swinging as his left clutched a canvas duffel bag. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the rare birdsongs for a minute that was tweeting through the air. He was a beauty, his black hair dancing in a soft wind as they swept over and contrasted the bright blue eyes that reopened to take in the sidewalk appearing beneath his feet as he strode into the outer workings of the small city known as Gotham. The buildings stretched up high before him and his smile faltered a bit before he reset it and he continued on, eyes locking on various figures in the distance as the morning began drawing shop owners out to the streets to prepare their sidewalk samples and window fronts. 

“Little city, it's a quiet place

Every day, like the one before

Little city, full of little people

Waking up to say...”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“There goes the baker with his tray like always

The same old bread and rolls to sell

Every morning just the same

Since the morning that we came

To this poor provincial town...”

Said Baker, a plump and jolly man with a love for giving cookies to children turned and gave him a patient smile.

“Good morning, Dick!”

The young man’s smile grew into a hopeful one and he almost ended up skipping over to the baker-but he was man and men didn’t skip!

“Morning Monsieur Lambre!”

“Where are you off to?”

“The gym! I just managed a Shaposhnikova yesterday with the bars and off of Bridge Cliff of course and-”

“That's nice...Marie, the baguettes! Hurry up!!”

Dick’s smile fell but he readjusted the strap of his duffel bag, rolled his eyes with a shrug and carried on. Nothing had changed with them. He let his mind reset itself on the routine he had managed the day before that had made his godfather not only stop his work and watch but miss his ‘observation’ chair and end up in the dirt. Still, Dick could probably do more with an extra bar on the other side a bit lower and it would require a bit more energy to get back but it would give a platform if he swung up and balanced atop it...

He really didn’t hear the other people. Rarely did.

“Look there he goes, that boy is strange no question

Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?”

And if he could incorporate a space for some rings. They tended to be more for single exercise but if there was shot straight up he could weave his hands into the rings during an ascent. An invisible line?

“Cause his head's up on some cloud.”

 **That** he caught when his thoughts parted for a moment and he crossed the street hearing a last few lines but not sticking around to hear the city-folks’ normal gossip about him. 

“No denying he's a-”

Dick ducked into an alleyway and cut across it to the next street, finally spotting the small gym down the road while he stepped around more people. A few early risers were beginning to stop for morning treats and drinks to fuel their days.

“Bonjour!

“Good day!”

“How is your family?”

“Bonjour!”

“Good day!”

“How is your wife?”

“I need six eggs!”

“That's too expensive!”

Dick sighed and quickened his last steps to the gym’s door.

“There must be more than this provincial life!”

He didn’t really feel himself opening the door, his ears just listening for and delighting at the sound of the bell over the doorway ringing to signal his entrance. The gym was quaint and not well stocked but it was a little bright spot for Dick Grayson in the gloom that was Gotham and even with the city-folk being their usual pitying selves towards him the sunshine and bird songs he had heard on his way from his home made it all a bit more bearing in the extremely late fall that was normally so cloudy and gloomy.

A form was straightening a slightly misplaced balance beam before he turned and spotted the young man at his door and they both shared a smile.

“Ah, Dick!”

“Good morning, Jim. I've come to return the bars I borrowed.”

He handed the canvas bag over to the gray haired man who he had come to know quite well since he and his godfather had found themselves in Gotham. The gym owner/police commissioner took the bag with a smile. Dick loved that, the one person in the city that kind of understood his love for the physically active arts. After all, even if James Gordon was getting on in years the man could still outrun almost everyone in the city.

“Finished a new routine already?” he asked as he slid the duffel back into a corner with other equipment to be assembled. 

“Oh, I couldn’t stay off of the things!” Dick said as he turned and began surveying the rest of the gym’s equipment.

Trampoline. Ah the rings! Then there was the balance beam. The mats for floor routines...

“Have you got anything new?”

James chuckled and answered, “Not since yesterday.”

Dick smiled with self-pity before his eyes strayed around the room and then froze. His smile grew into a toothy grin and he grabbed the object from the nearby shelf. He had been caught between this and the high swing but he didn’t really have room at home for the swing, lack of stabilizers and all.

“That's all right. I'll borrow this one!”

“The T-line? Haven’t you already done five routines with it?”

Dick shivered a bit in excitement at the memories of…’falling’ people called it….’teasing gravity’ James Gordon and Pop Haly called it…’Flying’ what he called it.

“But it’s my favorite! Shooting straight into the sky, plummeting, twisting right before the ground to be flung back up into the air! Zipping between trees, cliffs and buildings-”

James laughed and said, “Well, if you like it all that much, it's yours!”

Dick blinked three times and tried to protest, “But Jim-”

“I insist, just stay off my rooftops!” he said, steering Dick to the door.

“Well thank you. Thank you very much!”

He stepped back outside hearing the bell above ring again as he exited the gym, his new T-line gripped tightly in his hand as he waved goodbye to James and turned just in time to see a group of men turn away from watching him where they were standing in front of the gym’s storefront window. All of them began acting, quite horribly in his opinion, that they were engaged in other acts. Two of the men looking at a pocket watch one had pulled out, a third one staring up at the clouds in the sky and the forth pretending that he was drawing the slope of the sidewalk on a tiny sketch pad he had. 

He wasn’t going to get much drawing done with the eraser though.

Dick, again, shrugged it off. They didn’t understand him but he was used to the weird stares. 

He was pretty sure they went right back to staring as soon as he made his way back down the street and towards the alleyway he had cut through before. 

“Look there he goes

That boy is so peculiar!

I wonder if he’s feeling well!

With a dreamy far-off glance!

And his mind stuck in a trance!”

Dick stopped by the end of the alley and raised the T-line to examine it as a teen dog walker stopped for a drink and Dick’s legs were suddenly entrapped by German shepherds, collies, huskies, retrievers, chows and even a few Chihuahuas! He smiled and pet each one before his gaze went back to the T-line and let his mind set up the possibility of a new routine. He checked the feedback pull and the zip line feature.

Satisfied that it was fine he gave a begging collie one last head ruffle before he continued on his way through the alley where a woman was emptying a trash can and a man was plastering a hole in the layer of bricks. 

“Now it's no wonder that his name means ‘grace’

His moves have got no parallel!”

He sped up, no need to listen to the couple…Hey! He had an idea! If he used the T-line from Bridge Cliff towards the trees there and managed a 95 degree whip he might have enough time to shoot the line’s extra zip line feature to slide down into Bunker Canyon! 

“But behind that fair facade

I'm afraid he's rather odd

Very different from the rest of us...”

Now after zip lining into Bunker Canyon the drop there wasn’t too deep but perhaps enough to retract the line and reuse the T-line to shoot up towards the canyon’s far edge rock outcropping. And-!

He heard the distant sound of a thump as he passed by a café and almost caught the edge of a blur of familiar gray eyes. Within said café two men sat at a rickety table, one foolishly counting out and dividing a wad of bills into respective stacks.

“Nigma.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t count the pay in public.”

“Oh, sorry,” the brunette said, stuffing the green papers back into the silver case he was carrying.

“Idiot.”

“Oh come on Wilson, the job paid well. And you’re the best in the world.”

The older man smirked and said, “True.”

-Even if the local Falcones had demanded he work with this…joker for his last job. 

Slade Wilson turned at the sight of a familiar figure out the window and his smirk eased into an uncharacteristic soft smile, ignoring Edward Nigma in favor of the more… pleasing sight.

“You know Falcone’s wondering if you’re still up for seeing that Agent Rache? I think Marco’s hoping you two could become…partners?”

“Oh, I’ve already got my eye on someone,” Slade said motioning to the slim, blue-eyed beauty just disappearing beyond the far edge of the café’s window.

“The circus kook’s godson?”

“Have you seen him? He’s the best.”

“Uh, Slade? Do you mean partner or… _partner_?”

Slade said nothing more, just got to his feet and walked out of the door, following Dick Grayson along the sidewalk. He had his plan already, just a little…proposition and- He was momentarily distracted by the sight of a group of familiar citizens standing close around the city’s tailor shop. Familiar faces of men and women who were obviously staring at him, their gazes trying to grab his attention but he paid them little mind. He had a prize to catch after all.

“Bonjour!”

“Pardon!”

“Good day!”

“Mais oui!”

“You call this bacon?”

“What lovely grapes!”

“Some cheese!”

“Ten yards!”

“One pound!”

“Excuse me!”

“I'll get the knife!”

“Please let me through!”

“This bread!”

“Those fish!”

“It's stale!”

“They smell!”

“Madame's mistaken!”

Ahead of the throng of shop keepers Dick Grayson pulled himself out of his thoughts of loops and turns for a moment:

“There must be more than this provincial life!”

Before falling right back into it. 

“Well maybe so...”

“Look there he goes a boy who's strange but special

A most peculiar monsieur 

It's a pity and a sin

He doesn't quite fit in!”

Fit in?

Dick turned around sharply with curious eyes scanning everyone in sight before landing on a duo of women in hair curlers tending to the plant boxes next to their steps. A strange static filled his ears as a result; the kind one got after leaving a building full of music for quiet outside air composed of near-silent bird songs and insect buzzing. Everyone was looking away from him though and pandering about their daily chores and tasks. He almost rolled his eyes and OK-maybe he did like half of an eye roll before he turned back to the path heading to the outskirts of the city where he spotted the familiar set up of his home in the distance. Ah it would be so nice to-

“Hello, Grayson."

Dick glanced up from where his eyes had, once again, went back to the available features on the T-line but his brain stayed stubbornly on the problem of executing a second loop in the middle of a routine he was imagining. The glance at the ‘guest’ of his personal space remained on the older man for but a moment before they were back on the T-line again. He really did have more important things to do…

“Bonjour Slade.”

That’s when Slade reached out and grabbed said line out of his hands.

Eh! They were still in public so he had to be…nice!

“Slade, may I have my T-line, please?”

“How can you use this? There are no blades!”

Dick did roll his eyes this time before raising a half-amused eyebrow.

“Some of us can get through our days without murdering people.”

“Dick, it's about time you got your head out of those little circus acts.”

Slade tossed the line off to the side of the road before continuing.

“-and paid attention to more important things! The whole city’s talking about you.”

Dick muttered and walked over to scoop up the device and brush the dust from it.

“You’re different. You have ideas and you think.”

Rolling his eyes again Dick muttered humorously, “Slade, you are positively primeval.”

Slade grinned and reached out to wrap an arm around the younger man’s shoulders and begin steering him backwards to the café. 

“Why thank you. Why don’t you and I take a walk over to the bar and have a look at my…trophies?”

The last word, trophies, had been growled. 

He had to get out of this and NOW!

“Maybe some other time,” he said, ducking under the older man’s arm and taking quite a lot of steps away from him.

Three voices came from across the street.

“What's wrong with him?”

“He’s crazy!”

“He's gorgeous!”

“…?”

“Hey, the heart wants what the heart wants!”

Slade grinned and reached out for his prize.

“Oh come now, _Dick_.”

OH NO! He was NOT touching that with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole! Excuse!

“Please, Slade. I can't. I have to get home and help my godfather.”

Suddenly Edward Nigma poked his head out from behind Slade. He was so short Dick hadn’t seen him approach.

“Ha ha ha, that crazy old loon, he needs all the help he can get!”

Both Slade and Edward laughed and Dick’s face went red.

“Don't you dare talk about my godfather that way!”

“Yeah, don't talk about his godfather that way!”

Slade hit Edward on the head for good measure.

“My godfather's not crazy! He's a genius and as soon as we get out of this city-“

**CRASH!**

“POP!”

Dick took off toward the dust cloud in the distance now covering up his home as the two older men continued laughing. He dropped the T-line by the external pommel horses under the tarp beside their trailer just as he reached the rent grounds before circling his mobile home and diving into the wooden stables behind it.

“Pop?”

“How on earth did that happen? Dog gonnit!”

He found his godfather righting his elephant’s feeding trough and making no attempt to soften his voice.

“Are you all right, Pop?”

Cornelius ‘Pop’ Haly backed away from the now upright trough and growled, “I'm about ready to give up on these varmints!”

He gestured to the corralled circus animals that had been too long away from their normal shows in the big cities, even if the land they had rented in Gotham City gave them more than enough room for the horses, elephant, zebras, an enclosed river shelter for the seals, etc to roam-it wasn’t enough.

Dick smiled in amusement. 

“You always say that.”

He did!

“I mean it this time. I'll never get these boneheads to work with me.”

“Yes, you will. And you'll win first prize at the fair on Friday. Then we can go back to Star City, meet up with the others and reopen the circus.”

Haly eyed his charge suspiciously while he whispered, “You really believe that?”

“I always have.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? I'll have these animals’ routines fixed up in no time!” 

He walked a few feet down and pushed around one of the weighted balance balls before heading over with it to their elephant, Eleanor.

“Hand me that swirled baton there... So, did you have a good time in the city today?”

Dick glanced over to the box of miscellaneous supplies and pulled out the baton in question before handing it over and answering.

“I got a new T-line. Pop, do you think I'm odd?”

“My godson? Odd?”

He stepped away from where Eleanor had taken up the baton in her trunk and set a foot on the weighted sphere. 

“Where would you get an idea like that?”

“Oh, I don't know. It's just I'm not sure I fit in here. There's no one I can really talk to.”

“What about that Slade Wilson? He's a handsome fellow! Heard he had an eye on you.”

“Handsome…right.”

He didn’t think he had to point out the sarcasm in his voice but he did make it as obvious as possible in that sentence. 

“He's handsome all right, and rude and conceited and I’m pretty sure completes assassinations in his spare time and...Oh Pop, he's not the one for me.”

“Well, don't you worry; because this routine’s going to be the start of a new life for us. I think they’ve got it now.”

He stepped back with the weighted ball and took a deep breath.

“I think that's done it. Now, let's give it a try.”

He rolled the ball forward and Eleanor dutifully raised her foot to catch it mid-roll, she called out and raised the baton in the air before twirling it twice. Their largest seal, Aster, dropped down from his ledge, landing on Eleanor’s back and clapping the tune of “Daisy.” When he was finished with the chorus Eleanor tossed the baton back and Aster caught it on his nose straight up! Eleanor then reached down and picked up the weighted sphere beneath her foot, caused the area to shake a bit with the weight of her front leg falling and raised the ball up above her head. She turned her trunk upwards and twirled it around in mock imitation of a basketball.

Dick grinned and exclaimed, “They did it!”

“They did!” Haly cheered with his hands thrown up into the air. 

“Hitch up Eleanor, boy. I'm off to the fair!”

And then he promptly lost his top hat when Eleanor snatched it off of his head after dropping the weighted sphere and placing it on her own head.

“Hey!”

A few hours of travel prep for the equipment and animals and Dick was waving a goodbye to Haly, who was already heading out on the road.

“Goodbye Pop and good luck!

“Goodbye Dick and take care while I'm gone!”

Haly’s ride to the next town of Middleton however did a lot to test his enthusiasm. He found himself on an old out-of-the-way dirt road by the time the sun had gone down. 

He wasn’t lost though!

He was just…location-ally challenged. 

Even Eleanor didn’t like the road but her owner kept nudging her onward. This wood was dark and scary and no one looked to have been down this road in ages!

“We should be there by now. Maybe we missed a turn. I guess I should have taken a...wait a minute.”

Haly shined his flashlight on an old sign with two faded arrows and felt his hope be replaced with despair. The names of the destinations had been faded and cracked beyond recognition. He glanced down at his map and studied it for a full minute before making a random decision. 

“Let's go this way!”

He steered Eleanor towards a path overcome by darkened brambles and vines. She studied them for a moment before she turned her head towards the other path and saw a gleam of light in the distance. She started the way but was then re-steered back to the dark path. She cried out. She did NOT like this path!

“Come on, Eleanor! It's a shortcut. We'll be there in no time!”

But she went on the dark path…as ordered. 

They moved for another ¼ of a mile before Haly bade her stop.

“This can't be right. Where have you taken us, Eleanor? We'd better turn around and-“

A colony of bats flew out of the nearby trees to gobble up the night air’s collected insects and Eleanor reared back on her hind legs.

“-and...whoa...whoa girl, whoa Eleanor! Oh, oh! Look out!”

Eleanor tore off into the surrounding trees blindly, ripping away at vines and trampling underbrush until she reached an open clearing and she ran for it. Once out the bats flew up into the air to chase the escaping insects but then-

“CLIFF!” Haly shouted and snatched up his prodding stick.

“Back up! Back up! Back up! Good girl, good girl. That's good, that's--back up! Steady. Steady! Hey now. Steady!”

Eleanor bucked her rider off and he landed into a pile of giving underbrush.

“Eleanor!”

The elephant, too frightened by the events unfolding in her life, tore off into the forest once again.

“Eleanor! Oh no!”

That’s when the growls bled out of the forest and Haly turned to find many pairs of eyes glowering at him.

WOLVES!

He shot off of his mock landing pad and back into the far edge of the forest as the gray forms of the wolves shot after him. Oh, this was so not his day! Feeling the shadows of snapping jaws at his heels he tore at any and all foliage in front of him. A mere minute into the run he stumbled onto a dirt road and glanced up in time to see a black gate ten feet in front of him. For a breath he considered not approaching the intimidating gate that was all heavy black iron, pointy edges and a strange stylized ‘W’ in the center. Then he heard the continuous growls behind him and decided he really was better off on the other side of said gate. He stumbled into it and shook at it, panicking for a moment when it failed to give. Then it swung inward and he quickly passed through and slammed the gate behind him into the jaws of a large black wolf that appeared to be leading the pack. 

Haly turned and spotted a wide stone bridge pathway below his feet and them glanced up at a very large building just as lightning flashed in the sky. 

“AH!”

His arm was suddenly ensnared by a sharp mouth and he had to yank himself away from the gate and the single wolf that had gotten his jaw through the space between two of the bars. He landed on his right knee and his aged top hat toppled to the ground. Given it was in range of the wolves’ jaws he decided just to begin his trek across the bridge in front of him. Of course, this was when the rain began falling. Falling harshly in sheets. By the time he reached the door of the building he had to search the area by touch. Feeling out the shape of the knocker, again in the shape of that stylized ‘W’, he hurriedly banged the bronze knocker against the wooden door. To Haly’s curiosity it simply creaked open. Pausing for a moment he wondered if entering a creepy building in the middle of who-knows-where far away from his home was a good idea. 

Lightning flashed again and the wolves at the gate howled.

OK. Yeah. It was a good idea!

He rushed inside and jumped at the door shutting heavily behind him. 

“Hello?” he called out into the dark air.

The door had opened into a large foyer-area. The ceiling expanded a good 60 feet up and the floor beneath his feet had the distinct chill of marble. He spotted some shapes in the darkness that he guessed to be furniture. However the only light available was a small candelabra sitting on a table on the side of the room next to an old styled clock.

“Old man must have lost his way in the woods.”

“Be quiet! Hopefully he'll go away.”

“Is anyone there?”

“Not a word, Jason. Not one word!”

“I don't mean to intrude, but I've lost my way and I need a place to wait out the storm.”

“Come on Timmy!”

“No.”

“Monsieur!-“

“Shh!”

“Hmmph!”

_Flick!_

“AAHH!”

“What the-?” Haly turned and scanned for the source of the sudden scream but saw nothing.

“Of course, Monsieur, you are welcome here!”

“Who said that?!”

Scared of possibly having run into a haunted house of some sort Haly grabbed the candelabra to defend himself with.

“I did, you old kook!”

“Where are you?”

There was three rapid pokes at Haly’s shoulder and he quickly spun around, still seeing nothing. Great, he was talking to ghosts now! That was just what his day needed! Another two pokes at the side of his head made him turn towards the flaming candelabra in his hand.

“…?”

“Allo.”

A face. A voice.

“AAHH!” 

He threw it to the ground and backed away gasping.

“Hey careful with the merchandise!” the candelabra said, the two side smaller side candles apparently acting as the being’s hands which he was using to brush dust off of himself. 

Haly blinked and then nearly chocked when the clock he had seen sitting motionless on the table with the candelabra bound over to the other living object and began talking as well.

“Now you’ve done it Jason. I tell you if Br-“

He couldn’t help it. He was curious! Haly snatched up the clock and examined the face and the swing inside of it.

“Amazing! How is this real?”

He reached for and turned the key on the back of the clock. Said clock slapped his hand away. Apparently its arms were the side curled decorative wooden handles.

“Do you mind!?”

“Oh, I’m sorry I’ve just never seen a ah-ah –AHCHOO!”

“Cut the yap Tim. Monsieur, you’re soaked, come on there’s a fire lit in the den.”

The candelabra, apparently named Jason, gestured to a distant red glow beyond a now open door. Haly did feel warmth melting out of the room. So he set Tim down and followed Jason.

“Thank you. I am rather cold.”

“No! Absolutely not. You know what’s going to happen when he finds an outsider here!”

“Ignore Timmy. He gets worked up too easily.”

When Haly stepped into the room he was lead directly to a large comfortable chair, then a live coat rack stepped over and wrapped him up in a warm blanket. 

“Not his chair!”

A barking made him glance over as an animated footstool bounded over and begged for a few pets before propping up his feet.

“Wow! What excellent service.”

“Stop this right now!” Tim yelled.

And then was promptly silenced as a serving tray raced past him and Haly was met with a living tea pot.

“Good evening sir, I thought you might enjoy a cup of tea.”

“Why yes. I would.”

“No tea! No tea!”

Said teapot ignored Tim and poured out the warm-inducing liquid into a nearby chipped cup. Haly took it with a smile and began drinking until-

“Ha ha! His mustache tickles Uncle Alfred!”

“Oh!”

Haly pulled the cup back and glanced down to see that it was alive as well, sporting wide child-like eyes and a giggling mouth.

Wondrous!

“Well. Hello there little one.”

WHOOSH!

A great wind flew into the room with the slamming of the door and extinguished the fire. The cup jumped from Haly’s hand and hid behind the teapot. All of the animated objects cowered as a deep raspy breathing filled the room.

“Who is intruding in my house?”

Jason’s flames had gone out with the wind but he relit them and turned to the large form Haly spotted framed in the doorway. Due to the lack of light he could only make out minimal features. It was some kind of animal. One that was growling, his red eyes landing on Haly. The circus ringmaster’s heart was already in his throat. He was going to die!

Oh god, he’d never see his godson again! Dick would never know what had happened to him!

“Look Bruce, he was just lost and-“

Jason’s voice was cut off with a roar and he shut up.

The shadow stalked towards Haly, bent over forward as if it was about to pounce on him and rip out his throat; Haly doubled the reassurance of that when he spotted the glint of fangs at the creature's mouth.

“Who are you! What are you doing here?” the creature growled as his red eyes flashed.

Haly got up and backed towards the furthest wall.

“Pardon me, I got lost in the woods and the wolves-“

“You’re not welcome here!”

“I’m sorry!”

“What are you staring at?!”

“No-nothing!”

“You've come to stare at the beast, have you?”

“Please, I meant no harm! I just needed a place to stay.”

“Oh, I’ll give you a place to stay!”

The Beast reached out and snapped Haly up by his neck.

“A place to stay for eternity!”

The Beast pulled Haly out into the foyer and slammed the door shut behind them, cloaking the room and its inhabitants in darkness.

* * *

Back in Gotham, Slade Wilson pushed aside the broken board of the wooden gate that surrounded the rent-lot at the edge of the city, eyeing the trailer in the center of the area. He spotted the shadow of movement behind the thin curtain of one of the windows and smiled. Unfortunately, Edward Nigma had decided to tag along.

“Well, this is certainly going to be a surprise for him.”

“Oh please Nigma, he will be mine. You just have everything ready.”

“Yeah, yeah! The three million is right here,” he said, patting the silver briefcase he had become rather attached to lately. 

“And?”

“And transport is ready if you two want to leave immediately.”

Across the street, a large group of people were crowded together whispering very loudly.

“He’s going through with it?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you believe it?”

“Well. The acrobat is a beauty.”

“-but a little strange.”

“Well, if you could deal with it I suppose?”

Inside of the trailer on the rent-lot Dick Grayson was testing the bracers over the new ceiling fan for stability. By using the T-line on it of course! After all, if it could hold his weight…

He wrapped the excess line around his foot and turned upside down, one hand gripping the wire as his view of the world flipped.

That’s of course when-

**Knock! Knock! Knock!**

Dick huffed, unwound the wire from his foot and turned himself back right side-up. He released the T-line, leaving it hanging as he crossed the few steps towards the door and glanced out of the corner of the small viewing window.

Slade.

He sighed, rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and then reached out and opened the door. Before he could say hello though, Slade stepped in and pushed him back. Walking in like he owned the place!

Freaking creep! 

The door closed with a clunk behind Slade and Dick mentally sent up a prayer that he was possibly still in bed and having a nightmare due to the storm last night. 

-But then Slade reached out and slid a hand over the curve his right shoulder and nope he was not dreaming! Drat!

“Slade, what a pleasant…surprise,” Dick said, stepping back so the older man’s hand would slide off of his shoulder.

“Isn’t it?” Slade asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow.

“Can I help you?”

“As a matter of fact, you can. I should say congratulations. Ready for your dreams to come true?”

And he was getting too close!

Dick scowled and stepped back again, crossing his arms over his chest in a mock gesture of self-defense.

“-And what would you know about my dreams, Slade?”

Dick stopped moving when his back hit the counter of the trailer’s kitchen area. The creepy older man of course, took the opportunity to lean in much too closely than was comfortable.

“Any and everything anyone could want. Money, property, training, power… Imagine it, a large Mansion above any city, marble and gold. My partner facing an open window in the morning light with silk, velvet and diamonds.”

Dick gulped and eyed the door. If he could just…

“And do you know who that partner will be?”

“Oh, uh let me think…”

He had only made it three steps when Slade was stalking after him again!

“You!”

Dick dug out his stage voice, making it soft and mock surprised as he finally reached and leaned back against the trailer door.

“Why Slade, I'm speechless. I really don't know what to say.”

Slade’s arms flew out and trapped him against the door.

“Say you’ll marry me.”

“Oh Slade,” he muttered, making sure it sounded breathless.

The older man apparently took it as an invitation and leaned in to brush their foreheads together with a smirk.

“I’m sorry Slade, I just-I just-”

His hand finally found and turned the doorknob slightly.

“I just don’t deserve you!”

Slade pitched forward out of the open door and Dick slammed it closed behind him; further barring it with the nearest, sturdiest piece of furniture he could lay a hand on which was a small bookshelf that probably wouldn’t keep out a poodle. He listened as Slade said something in the distance to someone and held his breath until the footsteps passed out of his hearing range. He waited another minute to be certain and then removed the bookshelf. Taking a deep breath he cracked open the door again and spotted one of their parrots perched on the broken table they had sitting out front of the trailer. 

“Is he gone?”

The parrot just gawked and blinked.

Dick’s face tightened and he huffed before stepping outside and scooping up the bucket of bird feed before Charles, he deduced from seeing said parrot in full now, decided to eat it all himself.

“Can you imagine it, he asked me to marry him!” he yelled at Charles, who just blinked again.

Dick’s face burned in anger as he circled the trailer to head back to the bird perches to the left of the plot. Tossing the bird seed into the placed metal feed bowls for all of the now circling birds he seethed.

“Me, the partner of that boorish, branding buffoon that...”

He stopped and took a deep breath.

“Can't you just see it

His little boy-toy

Not me, no sir, I guarantee it

I want much more than this provincial life...”

He tossed the bucket onto the ground, letting the feed spill onto the ground, paying it little mind. After all, the birds weren’t picky about where they ate their food. Dick pushed away the thought of chores and quickly made his way over to the right side of the lot where the ground slopped up into a grassy hill.

“I want adventure in the great wide somewhere

I want it more than I can tell

And for once it might be grand

To have someone understand

I want so much more than they've got planned…”

A familiar call from the road that lead out of the city and towards Middleton caught Dick’s attention and he turned just in time to see Eleanor come running onto the property in a state of partial panic. The small cart was still attached to her but there was no sign of… 

Heart in his throat, Dick raced across the grounds and raised his hands in familiar signs to calm the giant animal.

“Eleanor calm down!’

It took a long minute that he was not comfortable with but eventually he had calmed her and then he jumped right onto the problem.

“Eleanor, where’s Pop? Where is he?”

The elephant looked back at him with what he had come to recognize as guilt.

“Oh no…You have to take me to him.”

Dick wasted no time in removing the hitch and cart and climbing up into the saddle.

Four hours later Dick found himself in front of a Manor buried in the background of a dark sky. Eleanor had lead him to the cliff side where he had found broken branches and cloth he recognized from his godfather’s coat caught on them. The path they had followed had stretched many miles to the north and the air had grown steadily colder as they traveled, especially when the sun had submerged below the horizon. Much colder than within Gotham. Dick had found one of their show cloaks within one of Eleanor’s saddlebags, this particular one dyed a shifting dark blue with a yellow clasp at the throat. It was actually quite effective against the weather’s chill. Good thing Madame Vera had always made them so.

The broken branches had lead deeper into the forest and into an opening near the center of the woods. Unfortunately the broken up brush was the only available lead as the rain had probably washed away any prints the previous night.

It took little time to find the opening and the tall standing Manor.

“What is this place?” he muttered as he dismounted from Eleanor.

The elephant herself was rocking back and forth, clearly unsettled. Dick reached up and stroked at the skin beneath her left eye, quieting her.

“Easy Eleanor. We’ll leave as soon as I find Pop.”

He stood still and listened carefully. 

…Nothing but the wind and aged slight shift of stone under pressure. 

OK then. Dick approached the black barred gate and his mouth dropped open at the sight of the familiar hat in front of it. Heart still in his throat he hurriedly pushed the gate open and rushed through, slowing only to bend down to pick up the remains of his godfather’s top hat.

He glanced up at the Manor whispering, “Hold on Pop.”

Inside and upstairs Tim was complaining to a pouting Jason.

“You just had to do it. Invite him to stay when you know that Br-“

“Shut it Timmy! You know how long it’s been since we’ve seen any-“

Back downstairs: _Squeak!_

”Hello? Is anyone here? Hello? Pop? Pop, are you here?”

Dick walked lightly into the opening foyer of the creepy Manor, making sure each step was soft and quiet. His eyes scanned the darkness and he gulped. Why did it have to be so dark?

In the ground floor’s kitchen a tired looking teapot was overseeing a group of live brushes cleaning out the sugar pot and cream bowl when-

“Uncle Alfred! There’s a young man in the Manor!”

The teapot sighed and turned to look at his hyper young niece before speaking tiredly.

“Now Barbara, I won't have you making up such wild stories. It’s been a very tiring day.”

“But really Uncle Alfie I saw him.”

Alfred sighed and then hardened his features before saying, “Not one more word young lady. It’s your bath time-into the tub.”

“-But!”

_Splash!_

Oh, children!

Determined to see everything spotless Alfred set to inspecting the state of the scrub brushes when again suddenly-

“You’re not going to believe it. There’s a guy in the Manor!”

Alfred turned and came face to face with the confused countenance of a familiar breathing feather duster. 

Barbara poked her head out of the tub and said, “See I toooooold ya so Uncle Alfie.”

Back in the upstairs main hallway Jason was just about to set his companion on fire due to his blabbering. It’d have been a whole lot easier if Tim wasn’t such a vulnerable dork.

“Irresponsible, charmed, waxy-eared-“

“Bla! Bla! Bla!” he mocked back.

“Pop?”

Both candelabra and clock turned and spotted a cloaked figure moving out in the main hallway.

“Is that-?” Jason muttered and quickly made his way to the corner.

Poking his head out, he took a longer, more detailed glance at their guest. Tim followed a mere few inches behind, heart already in his feet. Oh gosh! He had already…to the elderly traveler. What would he-

“It’s a-“

“I know Jason! And he should leave immediately before Br-“

“Don't you see? He’s the one!”

“The one what?”

“The one!”

And with that Jason spun his companion in a circle and made off down the hallway as fast as he could. Tim took a second to get un-dizzy and then went after Jason. He would have called him out for being an impulsive idiot yet again but they were just a few feet behind their new visitor now. And again he didn’t get a chance to do much of anything before Jason was pulling him through another familiar door.

_SQUEEK!_

Great, their visitor had to have heard that!

“Pop?”

Tim hid behind the door and Jason took off up the stairs of the tower. He almost called out as the young man stepped through the door but clamped his jaw shut. Bringing attention to himself wouldn’t help. Jason and his fool ideas! They didn’t know that this visitor could be ‘the one’ to break the spell any more than the others had He gulped quietly and tried not to think of them too much. 

“Hello? Is someone here? Wait! I'm looking for my godfather!”

Oh no! When Bruce found out about this-!

With Dick, his heart was beating heavily as he began his ascent. He conjured up some little bit of relief when he noticed a three pronged candelabra in a carved out cubby shelf in the wall. Any little bit of light in this creepy dark place could be relief to anyone’s eyes. Still...

“That's funny, I'm sure there was someone...”

But he didn’t see anyone as he continued to climb the steps. He held his breath and listened. Still nothing. No breaths and no movement expect what he recognized outside as the wind. And that was creepy enough! Fine the Manor was dark and creepy. He could deal with it but did the wind have to barrel down into a mockery of ghostly moans? Not calming! Not helpful!

Reaching the top of the staircase he spotted a lit torch beside the entrance to a very old corridor. OK, weird to use something so old when you could just use a flashlight these days but-OK! He guessed it matched with the atmosphere. Besides as soon as he found his godfather they would be out of this creepy place and they’d never have to come back again!

“I-Is there anyone here?!”

“Dick?”

The voice was strangled and weak but still recognizable. Dick grabbed the torch and ran into the corridor where he found six cells lining the perimeter of said corridor and there was a pale face inside of one of them.

“Pop!”

Ignoring rusted chains and spider webs attempting to trip him up, Dick rushed over and dropped to his knees in front the cell. Only a tiny barred hole at the bottom existed and in it was the face of his godfather.

“How did you find me?”

Dick reached out with his left hand while the right held the torch to take Pop’s hands.

“Oh, your hands are like ice. We have to get you out of here.”

Dick glanced up at the door, searching for the lock but there didn’t appear to be one. Then how-

“Dick I beg you, leave this place.”

“Who did this to you?”

Whoever did was going to pay!

“There isn’t any time to explain. You have to go...now!”

“No! I won't leave you!”

That’s when something tight fell onto Dick’s shoulder and spun him away from the cell door. He dropped the torch and it went out. When he turned around all he could see was a dark shadow looming over him and he backed up against the cell door in fright; breathing heavily. The only splash of color was a beam of moonlight coming in from a broken piece of the ceiling and the-the being’s red eyes! That’s when the thing growled and snarled at him.

“Why are you here?”

“Dick you have to run!”

Ignoring his godfather Dick gasped out, “Who-Who are you?”

“…The master of this Manor.”

OK. Vague!

Gathering what courage he had left Dick choked out, “I've come for my godfather. Please let him go! Can't you see that he's sick?”

“Then he shouldn't have trespassed!”

“Please, he could die in there!”

“He's my prisoner.”

“Please you have to!”

A grunt.

“Please just…”

Dick trailed off and thought. Would such a being be opposed to-?

“What about a trade? Let him go and I’ll stay instead.”

The creature froze, its red eyes growing a bit dim before he spoke quietly-which seemed impossible for such a…creature.

“You…You would take his place?”

“Dick! No! You don't know what you're doing!”

“Please be quiet Pop. Yes! If you let him go…I’ll stay.”

The creature turned to him fully and opened its mouth. Its form was still in the shadows but from the little moonlight Dick could spot the shine of white-fangs!  
It couldn’t be!

“You must stay…forever.”

Forever? For a creature he sure knew how to be vague with his words!

Catching his gasping breath, Dick bit his lip in thought. The thing was still surrounded by shadows. Still, it couldn’t be!

…Could it?

“Step into the light.”

The creature did as told and stepped forward into the beam of moonlight revealing his full form. And Dick nearly jumped out of his skin. It was far from human! Standing nearly seven feet tall, the creature was covered in black skin and fur. The bare feet were large and ended in long talons, the legs were overly muscular covered by some mockery of what might have been pants once upon a time of a dirty dark gray. The stomach, chest and arms were bare, showcasing even more muscles. The hands ended in sharpened claws. A chunk of flesh was gone from the creature’s left shoulder, the skin of the neck was stretched thin and the lines of his face were drawn tight. Said lines showcased a wide open jaw with white, sharp fangs, a large human nose (weird) those same glowing red eyes with no pupil or iris or anything to show in them, long ears that stretched up over its head and last and very not least, were the wide membrane wings on his back that were folded in half on each side.

It was a monster!

Dick gasped and turned his head down towards the floor.

“No, Dick. Don’t do this! Listen to me. I'm old, I've lived my life-”

Pop’s voice was getting worse in the short time they had been there! He had to get back to Gotham! Get some medical attention!

Monster or no monster-he had to do this.

Dick swallowed his fear and stood up, taking a few shaky steps towards the-the beast!

Because only a beast would do this!

“My word,” he breathed.

The Beast growled out, “Done!”

Then stepped around Dick to reach out and pull back the cell door before grabbing Haly by the collar. As the Beast passed the young man again he only saw him stare after them as he dragged the elderly man down the staircase.

“Pop! I love you!”

He ignored the pain in the voice and headed to the front door with the short man in his arms struggling. He only managed a breath when they were near the gates.

“No, please spare my godson!”

“He’s no longer your concern.”

With that the Beast tossed him into the front ground’s palanquin, which came alive at its master’s arrival.

“Take him to the city.”

And it promptly did so, vines growing beneath the carrier to act as spider-like legs. It scurried off into the nearby dark woods and the Beast turned back to the Manor.  
Back in the tower Dick had stumbled into the cell his godfather had occupied to look down on the front of Manor and watch him be carried off. 

What had he just done?

Taking a deep breath, trying not to sob or throw up he turned and-

-would have thrown up if he had anything to eat in the past few hours.

Because on the side of the room was a skeleton. The flesh and muscle on its last lines of decay as it was obviously slipping away from the bones. And cloth! There was a thick black cloth with a shine reminiscent of leather. And there was a whip around the neck vertebra below the stained skull.

Oh god-what had he just done?

Gasping he fell to his knees to the cell floor and watched bugs scurry out beneath the straw that covered part of the floor. Were all the cells-like this? All home to the Beast’s…snacks? Dick forced himself into a calm state even if adrenaline was streaming through his veins. 

OK-he needed a plan!

His best chance was finding something for a weapon but-

The door was too heavy to move, the skeleton’s whip was in shreds, the bones wouldn’t do, and every chain in sight was rusted through and crumbling already. 

Something! Something! He needed something!

He reached out and fisted a hand around the straw, watching more insects scurry away in fright of him.

OK, suppose he threw the straw and bug mass at the creature. How long would he have? Probably a long sum of seconds if he could hit the eyes. Overpowering the Beast would be impossible and those wings. Bat-wings!

This creature could probably fly!

The pathway from the front of the Manor to the edge of the woods was a good 300 feet! Could he even make it that far before…

He felt the ghost of sharp talons bite into his back and dropped the mass of straw and bugs onto the ground. More insects scurried away as he shifted and brought the ends of the cloak around him. It was getting colder. Would probably begin snowing back in Gotham any day now if not tonight.  
He drew the cloak a bit tighter about him, curled up and closed his eyes. Bracing himself-

It would be a long…cold…night.

* * *

Climbing up the stairs to the tower the Beast was thinking, until a voice interrupted him.

“Uh, Bruce?”

“What!” he growled at Jason who was still in the wall of the staircase. 

“Since he’s going to be with us for a while, maybe you should offer him a more comfortable room than a tower cell?”

The Beast roared and Jason backed up as much as he could.

“OK! OK! Fine! Just saying…”

The Beast ignored him and continued climbing the staircase. He found his prisoner curled up beneath the single barred window of the cell. He had torn the door down earlier when releasing the elderly man so there really was no use in using that particular cell now. When taking a step into the cell the young man opened his eyes and looked up at him. There was anger there and fear. He even saw his eyes dart down towards the straw beneath him as if he was contemplating grabbing it for some purpose. 

“I'll show you to your room,” he growled.

Dick blinked in surprise and then glanced at the skeleton. 

Crap! He had forgotten about that!

“-but I thought…”

“If you want to stay in the tower…”

“No,” Dick grumbled. 

“Then come on.”

Dick’s steps were shaking-he knew it. This Manor! As the Beast lead him down a few hallways and up another staircase and down even more hallways he eyed the deformed statues and portraits with fear. Were they alive? Were they monsters too? He hurried his steps and caught up with his…jailer-he supposed.  
The Beast looked back and frowned. He supposed he should try…

He did when he saw his new prisoner clamp his eyes shut quickly at his glance and almost let out a sound of distress. 

“Say something Old Man,” Jason whispered from where he was being held in the Beast’s hand as a light guide. 

“You’ll-like it here. I hope. The Manor’s your home now; explore it to your content. Just stay out of the West Wing.”

Dick opened his eyes, curious now and asked, “What’s in the West Wing?”

The Beast turned sharply and roared, “It’s forbidden!”

Dick flinched back and swallowed again before the Beast turned and continued. Dick followed, eyes scanning his surroundings. Anything?

Finally they walked down a small ornate hallway. Dick could see a few designs on the floor molding that spoke of professionalism and the double door they stopped in front of was painted white. It was so unlike the rest of the Manor. The Beast gestured inside of the room and Dick stepped through it to reveal a large master bedroom. There was a giant king-sized canopy bed with golden lace curtains and a light blue bedspread. The floor was covered by thick, soft carpet of pure white. A very large wardrobe was sitting against the nearby wall adjacent to the bed. A white side table with a small lamp upon it sat between them. On the far wall were two large windows side by side with its light blue curtains pulled back to let in the moonlight. A second single door lead to what he recognized as a bathroom but he didn’t feel much like examining anything further. 

“If there's anything you need, the others will attend you,” the Beast said.

Confused at the gentle tone Dick turned and his hand flew up to the golden clasp at his throat as if he planned to what-remove and throw it?

…He wouldn’t get very far if he tried!

“Invite him to dinner,” Jason muttered.

“I expect you in the dining room in 15 minutes!” the Beast growled and slammed the double doors.

Dick’s heart fell into his stomach and he took a shaky breath. OK. He wasn’t dead…yet.

But-why wasn’t he?

And why had the Beast spoke so…calmly? It was like he was human for a second!

Shaking off the thought he walked over to the side table and reached for the switch on the front of the lamp. 

_Click!_

Nothing.

He tried again.

_Click!_

Nothing.

* * *

Back in Gotham, the city’s most northern bar was alight with noise and costumers. One in particular was sneering outside at the window.

“Who does he think he is? Saying no?” Slade Wilson growled out as snowflakes began to descend from the sky. 

“Yeah, right?” Edward Nigma said beside him.

“Dismissed. Rejected. No one tells me no!”

“Want another drink?”

“It won’t help.”

Suddenly Wilson’s solitary brooding and the subtle happy cheer of the bar from the other patrons was broken by Pop Haly stumbling into the bar gasping for breath. 

“Help! Someone help me!”

One of the customers muttered, “Haly?”

“Please! Please, I need help! He has him. He's got him locked in a cell.”

Edward asked, “Who?”

“Dick. We have to save him.”

“Slow down, Haly. Who's got Dick locked up?” Slade asked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

“A beast! A horrible, monstrous beast!”

The customers all began laughing and mocking.

“Is it a big beast?”

“Huge!”

“With a long, ugly snout?”

“Hideously ugly!”

“And sharp fangs?”

“Yes, yes! I need help!”

“All right Haly. We'll help you out.”

“You will? Oh thank goodness!”

Haly though was not prepared to be thrown out of the building with more laughter following his head dive into the mass of mud-snow. 

Back inside:

“Crazy old Haly. He's always good for a laugh!” one of the customers said. 

“Crazy old Haly huh? Ah ha,” Slade murmured.

“What is it?”

“Grayson would do anything for Haly. I can use that.”

Slade grinned and began planning. 

“You will be mine Grayson.”

Outside Haly called out, “Will no one help me!?”

* * *

Back at the Manor Dick had removed and tossed his cloak onto the bed before walking over to the large windows. Unlike the caged window from the tower these two looked out over the back of the grand building. Below was an open area that might have once been a nice garden. It was dead now though and-  
Dick glanced up towards the sky at the first gleam and spotted a snowflake falling. There would be a chill tonight. A bad one. He crossed his arms over his chest in silent anticipation not only for the chill but for what the Beast planned to do with him. He hadn’t kept him in a cell like he had Haly, he hadn’t torn him to pieces (yet-that was still a possibility) but if he still planned to why give him this room? Was the dining room just where he was going to eat him? But then-why give him 15 minutes? Why not just drag him down there and eat him immediately?

So many questions and things that didn’t make any sense.

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

Turning around, Dick walked over and opened the door.

“What? Who?”

“Alfred Pennyworth young Master, I thought you could do with a spot of tea before supper.”

Amazed Dick backed away slowly muttering, “But you...ah...but...I—“

And that’s when his back hit the large wooden wardrobe-which MOVED!

“Oof. Careful deary,” the wardrobe said with a tone that portrayed an elderly lady.

Wide-eyed Dick stumbled over and fell onto the bed gasping out, “This is impossible—“

The wardrobe leaned over and planted a ‘shoulder’ onto the opposite side of the mattress.

“Oh don’t we know it but-here we are!”

In the meantime the teapot had poured out warm tea into the teacup as the live sugar and cream containers added to it. 

The small teacup turned her head to the side and said, “Told ya he was cute, Uncle Alfie, didn't I?

“All right, now, Barbara. That will do. Go slowly now. Don't spill!”

The tea cup hopped over and Dick lowered himself to the floor to scoop it up and take a sip. Wow! It was really good! If this was some kind of convoluted attempt to knock him out to be eaten later on at least it was in good taste!

“Thank you,” he breathed out as he pulled the cup away and out in front of him to examine the young face there.

“Wanna see me do a trick?”

The cup somehow puffed out its cheeks, which warmed to an adorable shade of pink before bubbles started to rise and pop inside of the tea.

How in the world did THAT even work? 

“Barbara!”

“Oops…sorry.”

This day just kept getting weirder. Some kind of magic maybe?

Alfred glanced at the Manor’s new occupant and said, “That was a very brave thing you did, young master.”

The wardrobe cut in with, “We all think so.”

“I had to. Even if it means I’ll never see my godfather again-or my home. Forget my dreams.”

“Cheer up, child. It'll turn out all right in the end. You'll see.”

Alfred then straightened his posture and spoke diligently, ”Oh, would you look at me, blabbering about when there's supper to get on the table? Barbara!”

The cup jumped out of Dick’s hand and to the floor yelling back a bye as she followed her uncle back out the door along with the cream and sugar. Now alone with only one being, Dick turned his attention back to the wardrobe. The Living Wardrobe. 

“Well now, what shall we dress you in for dinner?”

“Dress for dinner?”

“My goodness gracious, yes! No one in this Manor will be eating dinner without looking their best! Now, let’s see what I have here.”

The double doors of the wardrobe flew open and some dust flew out which Dick waved away before glancing inside and spotting a line of silk shirts all in varying colors. 

“Let’s basic black for the bottoms, hm-you seem like the blue kind you know or perhaps a bright scarlet will make a better statement. Play up the irony. Hm? What do you think?”

“Thank you-but I’m not going.”

“But-you have to!”

Just then the door opened and a living clock stepped inside, “Supper is ready.”

* * *

Down in the dining room the Beast was kneeling in front of the lit fireplace that had obviously seen much more efficient days and grumbling out loud.

“What's taking so long? I told him to come down. Why isn't he here yet?!?”

He yelled the last of his sentence at the candelabra and teapot on the mantle above the fire.

“Oh, do attempt to be patient, sir. The young man has lost his godfather and his freedom all in one day,” Alfred said quietly. 

Jason spoke up with, “Have you thought- that he could be the one to break this spell?”

“Of course I have,” the Beast growled, one wing flying up a bit angrily and stirring up the embers of the fire before refolding and settling behind him.

“I’m not an idiot!” he spat, hating the feel of his fangs pressing through the fur and skin of his face.

“Good. You fall in love with him, he falls in love with you, and--done!--the spell is broken! We'll be human again by midnight!”

“It doesn’t work that way-these things take time,” Alfred said.

“But the rose is already dying! We don’t have any options left!”

“It's no use. I'm so...well, look at me!” the Beast roared, standing up, opening his jaw and spreading his wings.

The red eyes glowed brighter in the firelight, the white fangs paled against his black fur and the wings sent up another torrent of embers in the fireplace. The two objects looked at one another with tight expressions. There wasn’t much debate on the appearance but Alfred tried.

“Master you must help him see past all of it to who you really are inside.”

“I don’t know how to do this.”

Alfred jumped down from the mantle with a command following him, “Well you can start by making yourself a bit more presentable.”

“This? Presentable?” the Beast muttered, gesturing to his form again.

“Yes, straighten up for one.”

The beast attempted to, folding his wings back into place and relaxing his arms.

Jason hopped down and threw in: “And you could try smiling you know?”

All he got was a grunt in response. 

They’d come back to that later than!

Alfred continued with, “Now, don't frighten him.”

“You were smart once upon time-try to use that.”

“But be gentle. Especially so soon.”

“I know this will be extremely hard for you but try to attempt a compliment on occasion. People tend to like them.”

“I implore you though do be sincere.”

“And above all...”

“-control your temper!”

Just then the door creaked open and in walked…

“Tim-what are you doing here?” Jason asked.

“Where is he?” the Beast growled.

Tim looked a whole lot nervous as he stuttered out, ”Well, actually, he’s in the process of, ah, um, circumstances being what they are, ah... he’s not coming.”

“WHAT!”

A blur of black, three squeaks and the objects were running after the Beast as he burst through the door and up the staircase.

* * *

Back inside the bedroom that was now his prison cell Dick Grayson was standing near the bed, having hung his cloak in the wardrobe, he was smoothing away the wrinkles of the bedspread. He bet his mother would have liked this room. True there wasn’t much in furniture, heck there was enough room for a few balances beams and some mats in the empty space. Their trailer had never been this roomy. 

At the thought of the trailer sitting upon the rent lot back in Gotham he dropped back onto the bed, staring up at the curtains that lined the canopy. 

What could he do? If the Beast didn’t plan to eat him-than why did the Beast need him? What for?

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

He shot up into a sitting position and gazed at the door that he had already locked. Not that he thought it would be much protection from the monster but maybe it would buy him a few moments for…something. Maybe to say a mental meaningless prayer to whatever deity that would hear him.

“I thought I told you to come down to dinner!”

“I’m not hungry!” he yelled back.

Frag it anyway! If the Beast needed him for something then there was some protection in the situation.

After a minute of silence there was a: 

“Will you come down to dinner?”

It was calmer in cadence but did little to phase Dick’s anger.

“No!”

Another minute and-

“Pl-Please join me for dinner.”

“No. Thank you,” Dick said to the door. 

**BANG!**

“You can't stay in there forever!”

“Oh, yes I can!”

He really couldn’t but he could survive for a little awhile he supposed. 

There was a lot of murmuring outside of the room, then scrabbling feet and the distant slam of another door.

Dick just fell back onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow. A little dusty but he’d had worse before. He reached back to pull the edge of the top comforter over him and closed his eyes.

“I hope you’re alright Pop.”

* * *

In the Manor's west wing the Beast stormed in and knocked aside a granite stand adding more clout and clutter to his long destroyed room. He growled and stepped through the dust covered floor as his wings flicked up to tear through long disowned cobwebs. Even the insects had long ago abandoned his personal quarters. 

"I ask nicely, but he refuses. What a...what does he want me to do--beg?" 

He turned to the table sitting in front of his balcony and grabbed the magic mirror. A gift from the enchantress that she had said was supposed to help him. Though holding the object and saying anything along the lines of: "Show me the one who will love me for me."-had never given him any results.

"Show him to me."

The mirror glowed green the glass surface glossing over in a heavy fog before blinking to reveal the interior of the bedroom the Beast had left his prisoner in. Evidently some of the servants that had had candle transformations had found their way into the room, providing it with some much needed light given they were sitting on the bedside table. 

Dick was talking with the Wardrobe though.

Harriet.

"Why the master's not so bad once you get to know him. Why don't you give him a chance?"

"I don't want to get to know him. I don't want to have anything to do with him! He's keeping me imprisoned in this creepy Manor in the middle of nowhere!"

The Beast only just stopped himself from slamming the mirror face down on the table where the enchanted rose floated beneath a glass dome. He shook his head, tongued the tips of his fangs and snapped his wings in disgust and anger. Who was he kidding?

"He'll never see me as anything but a monster. It's pointless."

Letting go of the mirror's handle he bowed his head and walked out to the balcony. Standing in silence he stared up at the first few snowflakes of winter-

He spread his wings and flew up, snatching up a squirrel that had been walking across the Manor's long ago failed power lines. He watched it squirm and fight for its life in his claw before bringing the creature close and sinking his teeth into its stomach. Blood filled his mouth and nostrils as he focused on the slow melting of ice of the snowflakes landing on his rapidly beating wings.

Winter.

It would be his last.

* * *

In the East wing one hour later Dick finally gathered the courage to unlock the bedroom door and poke his head out into the hallway. The way seemed as clear as it could be. Taking a deep breath he reminded himself that the Beast had said that he COULD explore the place to his content. Except for that West Wing area-what was up with that anyway? Taking a few steps he passed a decorative tapestry that he took little notice of and completely missed the light behind it before he headed for the main staircase. 

Behind said curtain...well...

"Come on Helena..."

"Burn me again Jason and I will stab you!"

"Aw..."

_Flick!_

**BAM!**

Jason was thrown out from behind the tapestry and headfirst into the hallway's opposite wall. He looked up just as the livid lead feather duster of the manor stormed off with a huff.

“Totally into me,” he muttered with a smirk.

He got up and turned his head down the hallway to check for any passerby and low and behold, spotted their new ‘guest’ making his way down the main staircase. 

Oh no! He had to hurry!

* * *

Back downstairs in the one room that was still burning candles into the night, Alfred Pennyworth was helping his niece up into her place in the cupboard.

“Time for bed Barbara.”

“But I’m not -yawn- sleepy. Not one bit!”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not...”

Alfred smiled as he closed the glass door and watched his young niece finally give in to Morpheus.

**Clank! Crash! Thump!**

Alfred turned and found the live stove banging his pots and pans around in irritation. 

“I work and I slave all day, and for what? A culinary masterpiece gone to waste!”

“Easy my good man, its been a tiring day for all of us."

Tim spoke from below where he was clearing his face of fingerprints from the human.

“He did say please though. You’d think our guest could be-”

“Timothy!”

Tim winced and immediately said, “Sorry Alfred. Its just, the rose stopped blooming months ago. He may have three perhaps four months left before everything’s...permanent. This young man could be our last chance.”

“If it happens young master it was meant to be-if it does not then we will simply continue to live as we are.”

“I don’t want to be a clock forever,” Tim muttered while poking at the swing in his chest.

“I do not wish to remain a teapot either, however if the Master doesn’t lighten up-he’ll never break the s-”

“-So wonderful to see you up and about!”

Alfred blinked out of his chain of thought and glanced up to see that the Manor’s latest resident was walking through the kitchen doorway. Tim was already stepping forward to be the first to greet him. Dick smiled at the sight of the clock and bent down onto the floor to take his hand.

“Hi,” he breathed quietly still cautious about them.

Tim reveled in the momentary ability to touch human flesh again. It had been years since their last ‘visitor’ and he sent out silent pleas to any higher powers that would listen that the past would NOT repeat itself and leave this human like the others. 

“I’m Tim. Tim Drake.”

“Dick Grayson. Nice to meet you Timmy.”

“Hey!”

Dick laughed lightly and somehow set the occupants of the room at ease. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few minutes before the door flew open and Jason skidded in between Tim and their guest, knocking the clock out of the way to take over the handshake instead.

Tim grumbled but said, “-And this is Jason.”

“Hey there blue eyes.”

Blue eyes? Dick blinked but decided to not question any nicknames given to him by a living, breathing stick of wax. And gosh! How was this his life?

Trying to get around Jason Tim said, “If there’s any thing-Ow!-that we could do-stop that!-to make your situ-uh stay more comfortable-OW! Jason!”

“Well, I am a little hungry.”

“Hungry?”

Dick looked up towards one of the counter tops and saw the teapot that had served him earlier almost hopping in place. It was...weird and disturbing though he couldn’t exactly put his finger on the reason why.

Alfred was staring at the stove though and within three seconds they were sharing similar grins of excitement.

“You hear that? He’s hungry! Stoke the fire! Right the table! Break out the silver! Shine the crystal! Wake the china!”

“Alfred, He said-”

“Never you mind Timothy. Come along everyone there’s much to be done!”

“He’s right,” Jason said before motioning to the door with one of his candles.

“Huh?” Dick asked.

“To the dining room of course. Alfred will have our heads if you ate anywhere else.”

“Oh and I suppose you’re my escort?”

“Of course. Right this way.”

Jason hung back for a moment to stare at Tim who had somehow during the conversation fallen into a tub of dish soap.

“You are such a dork Timmy.”

“Ugh! Whatever! Just keep it quiet. If Bruce hears-”

“Yeah yeah-bla bla! But what’s dinner without a little-show?”

“Show!?”

Jason slammed the door before he could hear another word.

* * *

Barely lifting a finger Dick was lead towards a 22 seater dining table but he had only managed three steps before he was set into a velvet plush chair. He gasped at the action and began wondering how many people had lived in this place and how this had all happened to them. But he was distracted from his thoughts due to the sight of Jason hopping into the center of the table.

“Monsieur. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax. Let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents...your dinner."

“Be our guest, be our guest  
Put our service to the test,  
tie your napkin 'round your neck,  
and we provide the rest!” 

“Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres  
Why we only live to serve  
Try the gray stuff, it's delicious  
Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!" 

They can sing, they can dance  
After all, monsieur, it’s France!  
And a dinner here is never second best!" 

“Go on unfold your menu, take a glance and then you'll  
Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!" 

"Beef ragout, cheese soufflé,  
Pie and pudding en flambe!  
We'll prepare and serve with flair  
A culinary cabaret!  
You're alone and you're scared,  
But the banquet's all prepared!  
No one's gloomy or complaining,  
While the flatware's entertaining!  
We tell jokes, I do tricks  
With my fellow candlesticks  
And it's all in perfect taste  
That you can bet!!!” 

“Come on and lift your glass,  
You've won your own free pass  
To be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!” 

“If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest!  
Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!" 

“Life is so unnerving,  
For anyone who's not working!  
He's not whole without anything to do." 

“Get off!"

“Ah, those good old days when we were useful  
Suddenly, those good old days are gone.  
Ten years we've been rusting  
Needing so much more than dusting  
Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills!” 

“Most days just lay around the Manor,  
Flabby fat and lazy  
You walked in, and oops-a-daisie!" 

“It's a guest, it's a guest!  
Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed!  
Wine's been poured and thank the Lord  
I've had the napkins freshly pressed!" 

“With dessert, he’ll want tea,  
And my word, that's fine with me!  
While the cups do their soft shoeing,  
I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing!  
I'll get warm, piping hot  
Heaven's sake, is that a spot?  
Clean it up, we want the company impressed!" 

“We've got a lot to do--  
Is it one lump or two?  
For you our guest!" 

“He's our guest!  
He's our guest!  
He's our guest!  
Be our guest! Be our guest!" 

“Our command is your request!  
It's ten years since we had anybody here  
And we're obsessed!  
With your meal, with your ease,  
Yes indeed, we aim to please  
While the candlelight's still glowing  
Let us help you, we'll keep going--  
Course, by course  
One by one  
'Til you shout "Enough, I'm done!"  
Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest  
Tonight you'll prop your feet up,  
But for let's eat up  
Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Please Be our guest!!” 

The dining room exploded in showers of light and Dick jumped to his feet with applause.

"Wow! That was amazing."

"Why thank you," Tim said, even though he had avoided being part of the show outside of Jason’s pestering.

After a yawn he motioned to his clock-face and continued with, “Wow, it’s pretty late you should get to bed.”

_Before Bruce finds out..._

“Are you crazy? I don’t want to seep now. I’ve never been in a magic manor before.”

Tim straightened up and eyed a fork running by him before whispering, “Magic? Who said anything about magic?”

He reached over, grabbed Jason by his throat and growled out, “You said something-didn’t you!?”

While Jason attempted to fight off the angry clock Dick chuckled before reaching out to free Jason from Tim’s wrath by pushing them apart.

“I figured it out on my own,” he said, amused.

The two objects blinked, Tim looking away as Jason pointed his nose into the air in mock-superiority. 

“Ha!”

“Actually, I’d like to look around. The Beast did say I could explore.”

“Oh!” Jason jumped forward with an excited grin, “Would you like a tour?”

“Uh, maybe that’s not the best idea.”

Tim leaned close and whispered, “We can’t let him go poking around you-know-where.”

Dick blinked and almost crossed his arms in defiance. Did they really not see that he could hear every word? Then again-he supposed if they didn’t get guests a lot...

Still. The Beast had said he could go anywhere-except that ‘West Wing’ of course but maybe if he could get the objects to tell him...

“Why don’t you take me on the tour Timmy?”

He reached forward and poked him in the stomach playfully.

“Me? Well I-”

“I mean, you’re obviously the brains here so you must know everything about this place.”

“Well actually yes-I do.”

“Then let’s go!”

* * *

Two hours later, as the previous rainstorm from the day before joined with the rapidly falling snow, Dick found himself being introduced to all manner of 'living' objects. A feather duster named Helena that attempted to stab Jason with a chip of wood, a dog footstool named Ace that was very excited to see him for some reason, multiple single candlesticks that were Jason's friends, a silent orange cat pillow that Ace chased out of the room, a hat stand that enjoyed bowing, various suits of armor that he assumed already had their heads turned awkwardly until Tim cleared his throat and all of the suits faced towards one another again. Tim was taking every opportunity to explain everything in detail that Jason had almost strangled him quite a few times.

"And this piece is actually carved from lost stone from the Parthenon."

Dick nodded and they moved on across another large staircase. He momentarily remembered the setting sun as he had rode to the Manor. Hadn't the sun been...? So this would be...?

"What's up there?"

He reached for the banister and began climbing, his eyes honing in on what appeared to be claw marks on the left door. There were two gasps and suddenly Tim and Jason were blocking his path.

"Oh nothing. The West Wing's rather boring," Tim said.

"So that IS the West Wing."

"Way to go Timmy," Jason mutters.

"I wondering what he's hiding up there."

"He isn't hiding anything," Tim argued.

Dick smirked down at the objects and stepped around them.

"If he wasn't then it wouldn't be forbidden."

He got two steps before they were back in his path.

"Maybe you'd rather see something else?The drawing room or the gardens?"

"Maybe later."

He stepped around them again.

Jason spoke up behind him, "Uh, the library?"

Dick shook his head and continued his ascent.

"The gym?"

Dick stopped and turned to face Jason and Tim.

"You have a gym?"

"Oh yes a big one!" Tim exclaimed.

"With floor mats!"

"And balance beams."

Jason and Tim jumped down the steps and onto the floor waving for Dick to follow them. They began heading for a large open doorway on the south end of the foyer. 

Each continuing on with various-

"And weights!"

"Lots of weights!"

He DID want to see the gym. After all, if he could practice some routines and get a little stronger maybe he'd have a chance at getting out of here. But-

Dick couldn't help his curiosity. He snuck away from the rambling objects and made his way back to the staircase silently. He did feel bad about it since one, he would like to see the gym and two, they seemed like nice guys. The Beast though. He HAD to be hiding something up there. Maybe it could be something he could use too. So, stepping silently along the balls of his feet he climbed the last few steps and reached out for the handle. Opening the door he found a long hallway leading to a large set of double doors in the back. Stepping silently once again, he shut the door behind him and began walking down the hallway-surprised to find the place well...shredded. The wallpaper was peeled back, in very few places obvious victims of time but the majority of the paper that appeared to be once colored light blue had been hooked and peeled back forcefully. And there were large claw marks everywhere. The longest in the wall opposite a broken mirror. They had been driven a good eight inches into the wall. Ripping the paper, crushing the plaster and even slicing through a large block of wood at the back.

Wow, if his claws could do that...?

Dick's hand went to his shoulder where the Beast and grabbed it just hours before. 

He had already examined the small holes created by the claws even if they were only surface wounds. He gulped at the memory though and tightened his hold on his shoulder before turning away from the large marks and back to the mirror. 

What else was the Beast capable of?

He shook off his thoughts when he caught his own reflection and let his hand drop off of his shoulder. One way or another he'd find a way out of here! And obviously-

He turned back to face the now near-double doors.

-He would have to find out something.

With a few more steps and a quiet breath he walked up to the double door, taking note of the once ornate shapes of said doors now bent and dented beyond restoration. The only ornate thing still salvageable appeared to be the door handles, both cracked-but fixable, which were shaped into two blue-eyed bats. Reaching out for the handles, Dick looked back down the hallway. No one had followed him yet. He took another deep breath and pushed open the doors with a grunt. They were sticking a lot and obviously no one had worked on them in a while. Which was strange when the remainder of the Manor seemed to be in at least decent shape. 

Maybe the Beast wouldn't even let them in here?

So he HAD to be hiding something.

When the doors finally parted Dick stopped because he wasn't entirely sure what it was that he was looking at. It appeared to be a room of some sort. The pile of folded over and ripped cloth and broken up wood might have been a bed at one point. There were various pieces of stone and wood lying in smashed piles around the room. An open area was covered with broken tiles and shone with something in the past that might have been polish. A single shelf on the right wall was still standing but its shelves had been ripped out and there were torn books lying beneath it. 

Taking a few steps in and letting go of the door the first thing Dick got to examine was a framed portrait hanging near the doorway. The top of the painting was visible, showing a line of black but little else. Beneath it most of the picture had been slashed and was now curled over the remainder of it. Lifting a hand, Dick grabbed the loose paper and pushed it back into place. His breath caught because staring back at him was a man.

A very beautiful man. 

He was dressed formally in a navy blue suit and black tie. His hair was as black as coal, his skin a pale white, his features strong and set and his eyes were deep-just teetering between shades of blue and black. It almost reminded Dick of being underwater. Calm. Quiet. And a bit of naive innocence. He was probably just a few years younger than he was.

So was this-the Beast before...?

Before what?

What HAD happened here?

The living, breathing, talking objects that kept up the Manor. The dark shadows that seemed to encompass everything. The fact that there never appeared to be any sunlight touching this place. The others' comments of 'ten years'. What would keep all of this like this for ten years?

"What happened?" he dared to breathe the question into the air.

As if he had been heard a light flashed from the balcony on the other side of the once-upon-a-time-was-a-bed mass and Dick quickly walked over to it. He held his breath when he found himself staring at a glowing blue rose. It was floating inside a glass dome on top of a small table. Which, thankfully didn't appear to be alive. Biting his lip he reached out towards the dome and a spark erupted between his finger and the glass. His shoulders fell in relief when his revelation at dinner suddenly returned.

Magic.

This place, its master and its people had to be under some kind of spell or enchantment. 

For a moment he wished he'd paid more attention to Madame Vera. He still had all the stories she told him in the back of his mind of his ancestors' days throughout the east. The sly trickery, the illusions...the magic. Each new place, new world, new people. But it always came back to what flowed through his veins.

The Roma gift.

_"Carefully child...focus. Let it flow. It wants to shape itself. The stone, the leaf and even time itself."_  
_"Madame Vera?"_  
_"Yes young one?"_  
_"Why did you give that glowing yellow rose to Tom?"_  
_"He requested it as a gift for Tatanala."_  
_"What's it for?"_  
_BUZZ!_  
_"Love child simply love. Ah! Finish up here lad the cookies are done. Ensure you give your parents my best now."_  
_"OK. All done! Here are your lilies. You know, Mom says she's going to show me the smokescreen spell after our show tonight?"_  
_"Yes, quite handy that one is. Especially for a week long show here in Gotham."_  
_..._  
_SNAP! SNAP!_  
_Sirens wailing..._

Maybe his parents would have taught him something more if they hadn't been killed. 

He choked back a quiet whine and took a deep breath as he finally pressed his full hand against the dome. More sparks. Definitely magic. He took another deep breath and grabbed the other side with his remaining hand, lifting the dome carefully and setting it on the floor beside the table. He could definitely feel the magic emanating now that it wasn't trapped. Like most magic it was kind of tingly. He smirked at that and reached for the rose, stopping just two inches from the petals. If he could just identify the spell. He wasn't Madame Vera though. Nowhere near an expert and the little he DID learn from her and his parents before their passing was very limited. 

Still-knowing would be a big help.

Illusion? Spark!

Transport? Spark!

Transform? Quiet.

Well that DID answer that question. It had to be transformation. Difficulty beyond what he could accomplish. But perhaps he could break it down? 

Determined, he reached to touch the petals. He needed more insight to this. 

That was when a shadow fell over him. His arm burned from a slash of claws and the Beast appeared in the balcony doorway. He jumped forward with a roar to snatch up the glass dome and slam it over the rose. Dick fell back gasping his now bleeding arm.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" the Beast roared, his full red eyes flashing at Dick, prepared to attack!

Dick gulped and stepped back muttering, "Just trying to-"

"I TOLD YOU TO NEVER COME HERE!"

"Look, I'm sorry I was just-"

"YOU DON'T EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE!"

"I was only-"

The Beast pounced and Dick ducked just as the claws tore into the wall behind him.

"Hey! Stop it!"

The Beast ripped his claws from the wall and loomed over him with a snarl.

"GET OUT! LEAVE!"

Not having to be told twice Dick dashed for the door and ducked as sliver of wood grazed his head. He had just gotten to the foyer when he noticed that the claw marks on his left arm and his head were bleeding. 

Forget if the creature was a man once! He was nothing but a monster now! A horrible horrible beast! 

Dick jumped down the stairwell and headed for the door. 

"Monsieur!"

He didn't take long to look back at Jason or Tim as he grabbed the door handle.

His word or not. He COULDN'T stay here. If the Beast had changed his mind and didn't want a prisoner then there was no use staying and if he wanted to stop him-he would have to kill him. 

And he couldn't understand why his heart hurt as he stepped out into the first snow storm of winter.

* * *

Back in the West Wing the Beast was leaning against the wall, staring in horror at his hands-claws as they shook. The palm of his right was dotted with wooden splinters and the left had streaks of red blood on them.

He had just-

He had just lost his possible last chance. Blood on his claws. He had attacked Dick, used his claws on him to draw out his blood.

Blood.

His own blood was boiling as his throat tightened. One for the sorrow that he had just lost him and the second for a deeper, more primal urge of the spell. He raised his left claw and licked at the lingering blood. He hated it. He hated this. This mythological urge to drink lifeblood. But-

He had to.

Letting his hand drop he breathed through the urge. 

Don't. Don't go after him for more. You sent him away. Its good. You won't crave-

Multiple howls erupted into the air outside the Manor grounds and the Beast felt his heart beat against his throat as he spun towards the balcony. More howling erupted into the air. 

The wild wolfhounds-he had forgotten about them!

And he had sent...!

NO!

Gasping he ran onto the balcony in the snow and flung himself over the banister his wings flapping frantically to get him airborne. When he reached the nearest clearing and tore through the woods it took little time to find his target. Eleanor was scrabbling back and forth between two groups of the wolves while Dick was off to the side, on his back with a branch between the jaws of one of the wolves that was snapping, trying to get at his face. The Beast took a moment to appreciate the strength and skill as four of the wolves were already unconscious nearby. But this fifth one-the Alpha was on HIS-

He stopped the thoughts and pounced as the branch broke under the wolf's strength. 

He knew very little when his claws pierced flesh and he scented the creature's blood. And taking down the Alpha had turned the entire pack on him. There were just so many and so little logical thinking when his true beastly side took over. His throat screamed for their blood and flesh. And he fought back the wolves as his mind dove into other thoughts. The true beast inside. Wanting the blood, wanting to WIN. Dominate. Tear into the feast he would want to claim at the end of this battle.  
To stand victorious over them-the animal inside wanting to offer the most tender-bloodiest piece to his mate-

The thought struck so fast and so heavily that he faltered and the wolves got in-snarling to leap at his face and throat. He only had enough time to bring his arm up to take the bite of a large Beta. Probably the leader in the now dead one's place. Teeth and claw sunk into his arm as two omegas rammed their skulls into the back of his and their claws scrambled at his wings.

He roared and drew on a last bit of strength to tear them away from his body. The entire battlefield was bloody and driving his systems insane. This was exactly why he never drained. Too much-like a drug. Was a gateway into insanity. Nostrils flaring, ears turning to the sound of whimpering wolves running away and vision going black the Beast took the last few seconds to look for his ma-

Dick. Looking for Dick.

Who was-

Running towards Eleanor. Climbing up. Not looking back at the Beast. Turning Eleanor towards the thickest bunch of trees.

The Beast gulped at the blood coating his mouth and whined.

He had lost him. Dick wasn't going to turn around and suddenly realize he was sorry just because he had saved him. Besides, the Beast had told him to leave. And any smart person would. His time had been counted anyway. If he bled out here-froze here well-

His vision finally shadowed over and the last thing he heard was the distant howl of wolves. They would lick their wounds and be back to avenge their pack members.

-At least he had gone out doing one good thing.

* * *

Dick turned Eleanor towards the trees and attempted to catch his breath. Psychotic wolves. Seriously!? This place was nothing but a mad death trap!

A whine broke the sudden stillness in the air after the wolves had run off. Eyes wide, he stopped Eleanor and glanced back. At ground level it had seemed insignificant. The mass was the monster that had hurt him. There was no advantage to staying there. 

But-

Only now that there was some shelter from the snow storm among the trees and he was up on Eleanor could he see the Beast in full relief. His large arm was leaking blood into the snow, his wings had been shredded by the wolves' claws and twisted-his entire body was twisted uncomfortably in the snow. Various wounds on his body were bleeding minutely too. Specks of red in the white around his feet.

No! He had to leave! He had to go now!

But-

The Beast had just saved him. What did that even mean? He had just hurt him. 

NO. This was an opportunity to escape. The Beast couldn't stop him now!

Determined Dick looked away from the broken bat-like form and towards the trees. 

"Let's go Eleanor."

They stumbled their way through the line of bushes blocking the trees when a litany of howling shook the air.

The Wolves! 

Dick turned with a gasp and spotted the shadowed figures above the opposite tree line on a cliff outcropping. They were coming back! He looked back at the still, bleeding creature in the snow and his heart sped up.

Could he-?

"Oh," he moaned and jumped down from Eleanor-who dutifully followed him back to the Beast's still body. 

No matter what the Beast had done. Dick couldn't leave him here to die. To be torn apart by the wolves. 

...No matter what. He couldn't let that happen. Grunting he reached for an arm and managed to move the Beast a bit.

He turned back to Eleanor and said, "Help me lift him."

The elephant reached out and curled her strong trunk around the Beast's torso. Carefully but quickly the two managed to get the Beast on her back. Dick climbed up after and pulled out another one of the show cloaks from Eleanor's saddle-wrapping it around the Beast and pulling his head to his chest.

"Eleanor, back to the Manor."

Dick glanced down at the closed eyes that were normally flashing red in his presence and felt so much pity. Beast or not-nobody deserved to be savagely torn up by wolves.

"Hold on Beast," he whispered into his ear.

* * *

Two hours later the Beast was sitting in his chair in the den, his claws fingering the largest wound on his arm. The objects were around him, worried looks on their faces and Dick was sitting on his knees beside him, soaking a rag in hot water. Dick glanced up and raised the rag towards the wound.

"Come on stop picking at that."

The Beast growled and turned away from the rag. Dodging every attempt until-

"AH! That hurts!"

Dick huffed out the counterpoint, "If you'd hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much."

"Well if you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Well if you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!"

"Grr...Well you shouldn't have been in the West Wing!"

Dick reached out and tightened his hand around the Beast's arm and yelled, "Well you should learn to control your temper!"

Silence. 

Hit a weak spot, Dick realized. The Beast just huffed and slacked back into the chair grumpily. Dick brushed a hair out of his eyes and reached for the wound with the rag again.

"Now this will sting a bit-but you'll be fine."

The rag made contact with the wound and the Beast hissed. Dick's eyes grew at the reaction. It was so-human. He glanced down at the wound, already beginning to heal as the minor wounds had. Still, even with some magical healing factor-it would be a few days. A few days for possible infections. So it HAD to be disinfected and dressed. Staring at the dried blood Dick shivered. What if the Beast hadn't been there? This might have been him. It was only right to-

He let his voice drop into a tender cadence.

"Thank you. For saving me...and Eleanor."

The Beast blinked back and softly growled, "You're welcome."

Dick smiled. The little growl was...kind of cute.

* * *

Back in Gotham, in a little corner of the now abandoned tavern sat Slade Wilson, Edward Nigma and Doctor Arkham. The elderly doctor was tapping his fingers on the table and humming. 

"So, Bane said it would be worth it to leave the Asylum for this meeting?"

Slade gestured to Edward, who turned and slid the silver case of three million dollars across the table. At the sight, the doctor reached out and leafed through a stack quickly before turning his eyes back up to the duo.

"You have my attention."

Slade grunted and explained, "I have this problem. I want Dick Grayson."

"The circus kook's godson?"

"Yes, but he's been-stubborn about my...offers."

Beside him Nigma chuckled and said, "Turned him down flat."

Slade frowned and knocked his companion upside the head with the hilt of his sword. Normally, he would just stab him. But he might need an extra hand on getting Haly away from Grayson.

"Haly's not insane Wilson."

"Perhaps not-but no one has to know that. Dick would do anything to save him."

"Yeah-even marry him."

"Nigma you're making it less and less probable that you will survive the night!"

Edward ducked and shut his mouth.

"So you want me to threaten Haly until Grayson agrees to your-arrangement? Hmm...that's despicable. I love it!"

* * *

On the outskirts of Gotham where a lonely trailer sat and animals slept Haly held a travel bag close to his chest and set off for the woods. He'd find that Manor! No matter how long it took! Glancing back only once he finally pushed through the first line of trees. Never seeing the vehicle driving up to his home.

Dick had found him and he would do the same.

* * *

At the Manor one week later the Beast was staring down at the yard as Dick was leading Eleanor around for her exercise. The cold had been getting to the elephant and the Manor's inhabitants had been making sure to keep her stable extremely warm. However she still needed the exercise-even if it was in snow. Up on his balcony the Beast watched and his heartbeat altered as he watched Dick frown at the external wall of the Manor before a touch of Eleanor's trunk made him smile and hug her.  
A barking shot through the air and Ace bounded around Dick before diving head first into a snow drift. The dog-turned footstool shook off the snow before turning and running towards Dick, who had bent down and scooped him up with a laugh.

The Beast eyed Jason and Tim, who were sitting on the railing before daring to speak.

"I feel this for him. I've never felt like this."

Jason smirked and pumped his arm into the air. Tim frowned. So many ways this could go wrong. So few that it could go right.

"I want to do something for him," 

The Beast let his uninjured hand rest on the mostly healed but still wrapped wound on his opposite arm. The one Dick wore would be there for a few weeks-made by the Beast's own hand-err claw. Dick didn't have to get him back home. But he did, despite being attacked by him.

"But what can I do?"

Tim sighed out, "Well with typical romances there's the usual. Bouquets, sweets, promises you never intend to keep."

"No Timmy. It's gotta be something meaningful like-Ah I got it!"

* * *

Dick didn't know what to expect when he got back from Eleanor's walk. Whatever he might have expected, it wasn't the Beast standing near the entrance after he had brought Eleanor in, looking...nervous. His red eyes were dull and his claws were clacking together as if he expected Dick to pull out a shotgun or something.

"Yes Beast?"

"Jason says you never finished your tour of the Manor. I could show you the rest. If you'll-walk with me?"

Dick blinked and his right hand curled into the cloak he was wearing but he silently beat back any fear. The Beast didn't look hostile after all. Just nervous. Again, so-human. But he was afraid of bringing up the magic he had sensed around the rose. Obviously, a VERY sensitive subject. Besides, he wasn't an expert but even he knew...

Spells couldn't be removed anyway. They had to be broken.

"OK," he breathed and followed the Beast into the Manor. 

There wasn't much of a tour though. They stopped in the foyer for Dick to hand the hat stand his cloak but besides that-it was all stillness and silence as he followed the Beast through the dining room, past the door to the back gardens and into a long hallway. Like most of the Manor, the staff had seen to keeping it up quite nicely and it was covered with a beautiful long red carpet. The Beast was beginning to smile though and Dick tried not to think about it too much. It wasn't a hungry smile so he probably wasn't going to eat him.

Probably. 

They stopped at a large single door made of white-washed wood with two elongated windows of frosted glass. The Beast reached for the handle saying, "There's something I want to show you."

Then he suddenly released the door handle and turned back to Dick with a smile that was... teasing?

"But you have to close your eyes. I want it to be a surprise."

Dick raised an eyebrow at that but nodded and closed his eyes. He would trust him.

Nothing but darkness now in his gaze Dick focused on breathing and sound. He heard the door open and then gasped as clawed hands grasped his own and he was pulled forward. He let the Beast lead him on, counting the steps he took. When he reached 20 they stopped and he dared to ask.

"Can I look?"

"No. Not yet. Just a few moments," the Beast answered, kind of breathless as he released his hands and stepped away.

There were multiple swishes of curtains being pulled back and Dick couldn't help the smile on his lips as the warmth of sunlight hit his face

"Now, can I look?"

"OK...now."

Dick opened his eyes and his jaw dropped immediately as he took in the whole room. The gym, It had to be the gym Jason and Tim had been talking about! His eyes darted to everything. 

Mats! Weights! Pommel horses! BARS!

And his throat went completely dry when he glanced up and spotted a trapeze near the high ceiling and nets below. His hand clamped itself over his mouth as he started walking towards one and then to another as his eyes kept drifting up to the trap. 

"I can't believe what I'm seeing. It's been forever since I-" he motioned to the trap with his hand and then turned back to the Beast.

"You-" Dick breathed but couldn't find another word.

The Beast was half worried but half hopeful as he asked, "Do you-like it?"

Dick beamed and exclaimed "I love it!"

"Then keep it. It's yours. All of it."

Tears wanted to prick Dick's eyes but he didn't allow them to escape. He walked up to the Beast and took his hands into his own.

"Thank you so much for this."

The Beast smiled at their intertwined hands. 

In the doorway the objects looked on in amazement. Watching in delight as Dick pointed at the trap and dragged the Beast over to it.

"Oh, would you look at that?" Alfred breathed.

Jason cheered out, "Ha ha! I knew it would work."

Beside Alfred Barbara scowled and demanded, "What? What worked?"

Tim couldn't help his smile as he said, "It is very encouraging."

Helena shifted her feathers and smirked, "Well, its a start I guess."

Barbara exclaimed, "I didn't see anything."

Alfred smiled affectionately and motioned to the hallway as he spoke.

"Come along, Barbara. There's chores to be done in the kitchen."

Barbara scowled and asked, "But what are they talking about? What's going on?"

* * *

The next few days showed...promise. As the objects watched their master and guest grow closer. The Beast attempting and failing to use silverware again, rediscovering reading as the two spent time in the library. The gym was used frequently. Eventually Dick's arm healed and he took the Beast up on the high wire. Only just then discovering that the Beast's wings did actually allow him to fly. Snow continued falling each day, reflecting the little light that was present back onto the grounds and Manor. Lighting the place up like never before.

Well into the winter on a bright day both the Beast and Dick were outside in the snow covered garden, feeding the few wild birds that were passing the Manor during their migration. Well, Dick was feeding them and the Beast was failing to. The failed attempts were bringing a smile to Dick's face though. The more time he spent with the Beast the more the guy seemed like a fluffy teddy bear instead of a creature.

_There's something sweet_  
_And almost kind_  
_But he was mean_  
_And he was coarse and unrefined._  
_But now he's dear_  
_And so unsure,_  
_I wonder why I didn't see it there before._

Dick shook his head amusedly as another push of birdseed towards the birds in the Beast's claws only drove them further away. The Beast was frowning at the birds like he had failed them. It was cute and sad all at the same time. Finally taking pity on birds and Beast Dick stepped forward and kneeled down next to the Beast, adding more birdseed in his claws and taking a handful to spread out in a line in front of them. A little robin pecked at the line before hopping over and into the clawed hands to eat more. The Beast smiled and glanced over at his companion, who returned the smile.

_He glanced this way  
I thought I saw_

Resting a hand on the Beast's shoulder Dick got to his feet and laughed at a bird tweeting a song as it flew around his head.

_And when we touched  
He didn't shudder at my claw_

The Beast looked on affectionately as Dick made his way over to the large and bare willow and directed the bird tweeting near him towards the branches above. Could he be..

No.

Could it?

_No it can't be  
I'll just ignore_

Face falling into a scowl the Beast stared at the ground until Dick turned and smiled at him. At him. Directly at him! And he couldn't help the scowl vanishing and the smile returning as the beauty before him ducked behind the tree.

_But then he's never looked at me that way before._

Behind the tree Dick was trying to calm his breathing and cool his cheeks. He could feel the heat in them rising. The way the Beast was...looking at him. Grateful, caring...it was nothing like Slade or anyone ever had. Pressing his back against the trunk of the tree he fiddled with the golden clasp around his throat and wondered.

_New, and a bit alarming  
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?_

He turned and glanced around the tree spotting an awkwardly still Bat-Beast barely daring to breathe while covered in tiny little tweeting birds. Dick bit back a laugh at it before all the birds suddenly took off.

_True, that he's no Prince Charming  
But there's something in him that I simply didn't see._

They were at a level now. So...

Dick reached down and packed a snowball in his hands before throwing it at the Beast's head. Who shook the snow away and blinked at his companion, who was laughing and holding a hand to his stomach. Smirking he gathered up a large pile of snow and charged playfully at Dick. Who mock-gasped and ran around the tree with more laughter. He even managed to lob another snowball at the back of the Beast's head. Which humorously made him drop the pile of snow he had gathered down upon his own head. He shook it away with a laugh he hadn't known he could still use before creeping towards Dick again; the young man taking off towards a nearby snow bank. Up in the Manor's third floor the objects were looking out with large smiles.

Jason smirked and exclaimed, "Well who'd have thought?"

"Well bless my soul," Alfred said.

Tim cut in with, "And who'd have known?"

"Well who indeed?"

"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?"

"It's so peculiar."

"We'll wait and see."

"A few days more."

"There may be something there that wasn't there before."

"What's there!?" Barbara shouted.

Snowfall came and went. Storms rained and settled. Cloudy and sunny days passed. But finally-

After their day outside, seeing to Eleanor, some lunch and some reading Dick pulled the Beast to the gym. The young man marveling at the Beast's strength where he could lift all of the machines and their weights in one hand. Then amazing the Beast by performing on the high wire. A finale of a quad somersault made the Beast clap and make a request.

"That was amazing. Could you do it again?"

Dick knocked his head to the right and then suggested, "Why don't you come up with me?"

"Oh I-um..."

"Come on-I'll teach you!"

"I-I don't know."

After the third fall into the net and the sixth time of the Beast taking flight mid-fall Dick finally called a halt to the merriment. Even if it took a few more times to persuade the Beast to get off the high wire himself.

"Sorry," the Beast said, flying down to land in the net.

Both pulled themselves to sit on the edge and Dick beamed beginning to tease, "I told you that you'd have fun."

The Beast smiled, looking down at the few inches of space that rested between their hands. Dick had stopped flinching at contact about a month ago. Months, had it really been months? Mentally checking he nodded to himself. The days were getting warmer and spring was getting closer. Though the air would still be cold the snow was beginning to melt. The winter was ending. 

He tried not to think about it being his last.

Besides, now Dick was talking. He really loved talking but the Beast could be a good listener even if he DID have a temper.

"It's been so long since I've been up on the trap."

"When was the last time?"

Dick shrugged, suddenly looking sad.

"A few years ago when I was still at the circus."

"You joined the circus?"

Dick suddenly beamed, "Joined it? I was BORN in it. My parents were acrobats. We were the Flying Graysons. We'd settle down in a city for a few weeks and put on a show."

"...what happened?"

Dick looked back at the Beast and worried his bottom lip for a long few seconds. As if he had to gear up to be able to say it. He closed his eyes to block out the tears and shrugged again sadly.

"A mob boss was running a protection bracket in Gotham. Pop Haly didn't pay so they put acid on the trapeze wires. My parents fell."

A clawed hand rested itself on his shoulder and Dick leaned into it. 

"After that the police commissioner tracked down their boss Anthony Zucco and after the case Pop took me in to raise me. Though I'm great at the high wire you're just so limited when there's not a partner to catch or throw. Eventually the circus shut down. Pop and I found our way back to Gotham where we've been for a few months and he's been trying to get funds to relaunch it."

"...I'm sorry."

Dick opened his eyes and found the Beast staring at the wall on the far side of the room. Looking at something that wasn't there?

He raised his head from the Beast's hand and reached up to rest his own hand on the Beast's.

"Hey. It's OK. It's not like it's your fault."

"I know...what it's like," the Beast breathed.

Dick's mouth fell open. Only just now realizing. Ten years. The portrait of a man a few years younger than he was. Maybe about 16 he would guess. So...parents. He'd never seen anything in the Manor about their existence. 

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"Mugger. We were coming home from a movie. He shot them but left me alive. Never found him."

Blinking Dick rose onto his feet and pressed himself against the Beast's side in a hug.

"I'm sorry too."

The claws were in his hair but he didn't fear them any longer. And the muscled arms that encircled him no longer were squeezing the breath from him-but holding him. Gently. Caressing. Delicately combing through his hair. 

Breath on his neck as the Beast turned his head.

Enough!

Dick pulled back and smiled-which the Beast returned. Though neither was certain why they were smiling. Maybe they'd figure it out?

* * *

The objects were at it again, spying on the duo.

Tim hummed out, "Yes, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before."

Barbara, who was getting annoyed asked, "What is it?"

"There may be something there that wasn't there before."

"What's there, Uncle Alfred?"

Alfred chuckled and only explained, "I'll tell you when you're older."

* * *

A full day organized by Alfred kept the couple inside for the next full day, meals served by a skeleton staff, reading, shows in the gym and a warm fire, drawing, playing games, chatting. All so the Manor's staff could ready for the evening ahead. They had grown stressed at the sight of the rose beginning to lose its last few petals.

They had a few days. Maybe less.

It was time to take a jump and see if they could land safely. 

The snow was melting-making way for the incoming spring season. Those not needed for distracting the duo jumped to work. Clearing leftover snow and mud, planting flowers they gathered from the forest, cooking food as carefully as possible, cleaning the large fountain out front so it would flow and most importantly-giving the ballroom, foyer and dining room large remodeling. Within hours, and attitudes tense, the groups divided for the evening, some heading for the dining room, the candles leaving to prep the ballroom's lighting, Alfred and Barbara overlooking the meal as it was transferred from the kitchen, some brooms making a last sweep of the balcony and hedge trimmers snipping away the last of the uneven leaves from the trees. The sky was even clear!

Helena left to see to Harriet and Dick, stating if she was near Jason for another minute she was going to snap his candle head in half. In the meantime, Jason and Tim departed to see how the Beast was.

Inside his room Dick was blushing at his reflection in the mirror that had now been hung on his wall. Over the months he had had three bookshelves an exercise mat and a dresser added to his space and it felt much more comfortable with new things that had become familiar with his stay. 

But this-?

"I don't know about this," he said to Harriet.

"Don't be silly-you're ravishing."

Stepping back the living wardrobe admired her work with a smile. The bright yellow cloth interlaced with minuscule patterns of blue really brought out the young man's dark hair and heavily shaded skin.

"Will the Beast like it?"

"Oh, he'll love it," Helena said-in fact the way it hugged his torso, brought out his eyes and teased any onlookers with only half a view from behind it was downright criminal. 

Long sleeves of bright yellow encased his arms warmly though it was becoming spring the nights could still have a bit of a chill. The needlework of blue birds matched his eyes. The entire top lay against the skin of his chest tightly, the soft material allowing venting and well-it was soft to the touch. For when-

Well none of Harriet's business she decided, her eyes taking in the similar needlework along the bottom edge of the shirt, a diagonal cut falling down over the young man's left hip. The shine of a gold belt buckle against his waist clashed against the black pants-which were...tight.

Besides, it was perfectly fine to show off tonight!

Seeing little more to do other than a minute brushing of her charge's hair in passing, Harriet corralled him out the bedroom door, down the hallway and to the door to the stairs of the main foyer. 

"I don't-"

"Go!"

Dick took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. 

He wasn't entirely certain why he wanted the Beast to like him tonight but he did. 

Opening the door with a deep breath Dick stepped out into the brightly lit foyer and stopped in sight of the Beast stepping out across the way, standing straight with one hand resting on the banister. Smiling. 

Smiling at him.

_Tale as old as time_  
_True as it can be_  
_Barely even friends_  
_Then somebody bends unexpectedly._

He didn't deny the blush warming his face as he took in the Beast's appearance. Formal suit, enlarged, cut and stitched for his unusual size but still the gray ensemble was a more softer layer on top of the black skin. His hands and feet remained bare but his entire face was soft, his red eyes dull. They both made their way towards one another down the stairs, meeting halfway before joining arms and turning to find Ace yipping away where he stood on the ground floor. They both smiled as he circled them twice while they headed to the dining room and stepped a bit closer. 

The meal of course was grand, the Beast stating that he was certain that Alfred had never cooked nor directed a bad meal in his entire life. Dick agreed, even if he'd only known Alfred for a few months he was certain the man-teapot-was a master of his trade. The dinner was turning about with the random conversations. Thoughts on the new garden, the decorations, some new stained glass windows, the outfits, the service-all they both agreed were spectacular. Though Jason was still a bit of a loud mouth.

"Hey-! Mm!"

Tim had finally played smart, gagged Jason with his own candle arm and then plucked a feather from Helena which he quickly blamed on Jason.

In the meantime, while Jason was running for his life from an enraged feather duster, Tim directed for the hat rack to enter and begin the once human's ability for violin yet again. While he entertained the couple with a short tune Tim raced to the ballroom to see to the candle's lighting. After all-Jason was busy right now so it was up to him.

_Just a little change_  
_Small to say the least_  
_Both a little scared_  
_Neither one prepared, beauty and the beast._

Only a minute later the duo entered, the Beast looking really nervous, as if he would make a mad dash for the balcony window if his partner made too fast of a move. Tim saw to the adjusting lights around the room while he watched. Bruce WAS nervous. In fact, Dick was the one who reached out and adjusted his arm around him and onto his waist with a bright smile before reaching out to take the Beast's other hand in his own. Tim sent the signal up for the music and stepped back to be utterly pleased with his work.

Besides, just because it was a last chance didn't mean it wasn't one at all-even if he was still worrying in the back of his mind. 

_Ever just the same_  
_Ever a surprise_  
_Ever as before,_  
_ever just as sure_  
_As the sun will rise_

Music and dancers flowed together as the lights flickered. A perfect motion as the two put past knowledge of dance and balletic art into their movements.

_Tale as old as time_  
_Tune as old as song_  
_Bittersweet and strange,_  
_Finding you can change,_  
_Learning you were wrong_

_Certain as the sun_  
_Rising in the east_  
_Tale as old as time,_  
_Song as old as rhyme,_  
_Beauty and the beast._

_Tale as old as time,_  
_Song as old as rhyme,_  
_Beauty and the beast._

Across the room Alfred glanced down at his sleepy-eyed niece and shooed her off to bed as Tim had the candles dim along with the fading of the song.  
Through the double glass balcony door the Beast lead Dick outside under the starry sky and both of them sat down on the stone bench that lined the banister. Both looking at one another for a moment and then looking away, cheeks flushed. 

Finally the Beast found his voice.

"Dick? Are you-happy here with me?"

Dick blinked and scrunched up his face looking reluctant but still he said, "Yes. I am."

Suddenly the reluctant visage transformed into one of sorrow as he glanced out over the forest, looking for some proof-perhaps a small luminescence-that Gotham was out there somewhere.

"What is it?" the Beast asked.

Dick turned back to him and smiled as he answered, his face falling back into a frown as he said, "I am happy here. It's wonderful-magical. I just...I just wish I could see Pop again. You know? Make sure he's OK. That he's gotten help."

The Beast's face fell. He was the one who put the old man into that state to begin with. He'd carry that for awhile he supposed-maybe into eternity. 

"You know just for a minute? Then I'd never forget him."

The Beast perked up then as his thoughts landed on the possibility. He turned to Dick and reached out to take his hands in his own.

"I know a way."

Dick's eyes widened and he leapt to his feet, still clutching the Beast's hands asking, "You do?"

Smiling, the Beast got to his feet and glanced up at the familiar balcony. Dick glanced up too and held his breath.

"We'll need to get to my room. We could take the stairs but-I know I've never asked this...would you-like to fly?"

Dick's eyes grew even larger and he beamed, "Oh yes! Please?"

"Alright, here hang on tight. I've never carried anyone before and this could get scary."

The Beast dropped his companion's hands and held out his arms. Beaming still, Dick slipped inside his hug and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"You don't scare me Beast and I trust you."

_Don't scare...trust you..._

It felt good to hear that-even if the Beast wished for more-it made him smile as he stepped up onto the stone bench and leaned over the banister.

"We'll have to fall. Bat wings and all-they're not like birds."

"I know. I've seen you fly off the trapeze and besides-falling's the best part," Dick exclaimed.

They both smiled at one another one last time before the Beast pushed himself off of the banister and his wings flared out, starting to flap wildly. One story from the ground he managed lift and flew out towards the forest, taking advantage of a tunnel of passing wind to get higher elevation. He actually picked up on the smell of an upcoming storm-though to his relief it was hours away. Besides, there was no need to bring it up when his companion was laughing and holding out one free hand to drag it along the current. His face was so joyous and if he had any other data on it, the Beast could almost be certain that he was falling in love again. 

Too soon they had to leave the currents and use the last one to circle back to his balcony. Truthfully his wings always had to flap sporadically to achieve flight so it was always a bumpy ride. He was glad to take advantage of currents he could glide on at any time. 

Finally they were landing on his balcony and catching their breaths.

"That was amazing!" Dick exclaimed, his hands flying wildly as the Beast had learned his companion wasn't very good at remaining still.

"Come on," the Beast said, opening his balcony door and stepping inside. 

Honestly everyone had done a great job with his wing-especially his room. Furniture rebuilt, floor refinished, new carpet, painted walls. It was very warm and welcoming now. He smiled a bit as he noticed Dick scanning the room and smiling in approval at the lighter colors-even if the Beast still felt too dark to be inside it. But aspirations aside he walked over to the covered rose and the magic mirror, Taking it up with a careful touch he handed it over to Dick.

"This mirror will show you anything you want to see."

Dick took with a bit of skepticism but still shifted his feet and spoke into the mirror.

"Show me my godfather...please?"

He had no idea if he was supposed to say please but Dick figured it was safer in the long run. The mirror's surface flashed and he had to look away, turning back just in time to see the once shiny surface of the mirror swirling into a mossy green smoke as a video of something was being outlined in the distance. In only a few seconds, the smoke cleared and there he was. 

Pop Haly. His godfather. The one who had been there through the aftermath of his parents' deaths and everything that followed in Dick's life. 

On the ground in a hostile wind somewhere in the forest. Coughing silently, face pressed to the dirt and specks of blood draining from cuts on his arms and legs.

"Pop!"

"Dick?"

He didn't see the Beast reaching out for him. He just backed up and fell onto the bed, the hand not clutching the mirror reaching up to clamp itself over his stomach. 

"Dick?"

The bed beneath him bent and Dick finally glanced sideways at the Beast; his mind a blur.

Dropping the mirror into his lap, Dick lowered his head into his hand and fought back a sob. 

Not Pop. Not him. 

_...Not fair!_

He didn't see the Beast get up or walk over to the blue rose beneath the glass dome. It wasn't until he spoke.

"Go to him."

"What?" Dick asked and raised his head to stare at his friend.

The Beast didn't turn around though-just kept speaking.

"He needs your help. Go on."

"You mean-?"

"You're free. You're no longer my prisoner. Now go, you godfather needs you."

There was a gasp and then Dick's hand was on his shoulder, turning him around. The young man's eyes were shining and he was smiling softly.

"Thank you. You're the first one to understand what he means to me."

"Go. Be safe."

"The wolves?"

"I'll scare them off as you leave."

"Thank you so much."

Dick turned and headed for the door, speaking into the mirror, "Hold on Pop, I'm on my way. Oh-!"

He turned back around and started walking back-holding out the mirror as he reached the Beast's side again. 

"Here."

The Beast shook his head and pushed it back before he said, "Keep it. That way you can look back whenever you want."

"Again. Thank you."

"You should hurry."

"Right!"

Dick dashed out of the room and Tim snuck in, smiling at the Manor's ruler.

"Well, it went very well. See? It'll work out."

"I let him go."

"Yes I kn-WHAT?"

"I let him go."

"But-why?"

"I had to...because I love him."

* * *

"HE DID WHAT?"

"Yes, I'm afraid he did," Tim said, his frown drooping.

Barbara chirped in with, "He's leaving?"

Jason stomped and protested, "The idiot-he was so close!"

Alfred smiled sadly and stated, "After all this time, he's finally learned about love and compassion. Only to..."

"Wait!" Jason protested, holding up a flaming hand before shifting it in thought and saying, "Shouldn't that do it then? Shouldn't that break the spell?"

"It's not enough. He has to love him in return," Alfred explained.

"And now it's too late."

* * *

The Beast only watched in horror as his last chance at breaking his spell rode off into the forest. He gritted his teeth and flew out over the grounds and beginning trees, roaring out over the land. He heard some wolf howls returning but the pack was already small thanks to their first fight and they heeded his warning. Wanting to go after Dick but knowing that he both couldn't and shouldn't the Beast returned to his room at the Manor, sitting himself on a fainting couch next to the rose, watching as the last petal barely clung to the stem. 

A few hours maybe. 

He couldn't help glancing toward the bed and sniffing at the air. He could still smell Dick in the room. Perhaps it had happened in a different world. In some alternate universe they had admitted existing mutual affection and had a life with one another. Lying together in an embrace of soft skin and heat. No fangs, no wings, no claws. 

No pain.

Maybe it had happened somewhere.

But not here. 

The corner of the petal broke as he glanced back at the rose. One little corner of one little petal of one little rose. 

What a symbol of eternity.

Until then, he lay back and dreamed. He had all the time to do so now. How would Dick have reacted as he transformed back into a human? Still love him? Say he was handsome, beautiful, wonderful? Would he enjoy staring into his human eyes instead of the red lights that adjourned his eye sockets now? What would he even look like now at 25? He had last seen his own human reflection at 15 before the spell. Was he really this tall-or was that the magic? Would anything be permanent? Would he keep the fangs or the wings?

He supposed if Dick ever did come back-perhaps for a visit-the wings might be something redeeming. He did like the short flight. Perhaps they could make a day of it. Fly off to search out a secluded area. Actually, finding one would give him something to do while he waited through forever. 

Then of course, that was IF Dick ever saw fit to return.

His thoughts were drawn away from his daydreams when he heard his door open and Alfred stepped inside.

"Excuse my intrusion sir but has Barbara been here?"

The Beast blinked and shook his head. Alfred huffed and muttered about 'children playing hide-n-seek' before he exited the room. 

The Beast thought nothing of it though-Barbara tended to be curious about exploring the Manor and grounds. He went back to his day dreams as he heard the wind pick up outside and the incoming scent of rain. It was maybe an hour away. Plenty of time for more of a fantasy.

Maybe Dick would come back and still see him as a friend. Maybe it'd become a crush. Maybe they'd try holding hands in the garden in summer. They could jump in leaves during the fall. Maybe then he could possibly get a kiss to the cheek. Because he knew Dick would never want to touch his lips to his fangs. But sometime in winter, he could convince Dick to let him closer. Maybe they'd dance again. 

A lot of 'maybes'.

* * *

Downstairs, Jason was pacing and Tim was slouched down against the nearest wall.

"I knew it from the beginning. It was idiotic to even hope!"

Jason muttered, "He shouldn't have shown up at all. Eternity like this."

Alfred entered the room with a slightly worried frown but before he could speak up Ace raced up to the window and started barking out at the rain that had begun falling. The others gasped and raced to the window-faces raised in hope.

"Is he back?"

To their dying hope the figure that exited the forest was a man dressed in armor and weapons with the stance of a hunter. What was worse was that rows upon rows of other people were grouped behind him armed with all manner of blades and guns. Their hearts plummeted. 

Had Dick told Gotham?

"Just what we need-an invasion!" Jason huffed.

"Look, he has the mirror!" Alfred warned them, motioning to the man up front who was halfway to the front door.

"Fine, if they want a fight then we'll give them one!" Tim exclaimed.

"I'll tell the master," Alfred said.

"Ace, sound the alarm," Tim ordered.

The footstool nodded and took off out the door, barking as loud as he could to alert the rest of the Manor.

Inside the Beast's room, Alfred was panicked enough to rush inside.

"Master-"

"Leave me alone Alfred."

"But Master, the Manor's under attack."

"I know-I hear them. It doesn't matter now anyway. Just let them in."

He was staring down at the rose, clinging to its last petal. From the look of the angle Alfred guessed there might have been a few strands of plant fibers remaining.

"But sir-"

"Don't. There's no point Alfred. You're dismissed."

"But?"

"Dismissed."

Alfred swallowed past the sorrow in his charge's voice and left. Planning to alert a few of the others to guard the stairway. Unfortunately, by the time he reached the foyer everyone was engaged in battle with the invaders and he was quick to gather his teacup helpers to pour boiling water down on some gunmen's heads. Perhaps the Beast was right. They were still outnumbered and overpowered. They'd need some kind of charging impetus to gain any advantage. 

No one noticed the stealthy hunter sneaking past them all and slipping inside rooms.

The Beast heard the doors opening and closing down the hallway-just focusing on breathing. Soon. Yeah-there was a maybe Dick would return but it would be much took late to break the spell and hey-perhaps if he was gone the magic would see fit to return the others to their human forms. After all-none of them had any fault in his mistake.

_Slam!_

Closer.

_Slam!_

Closer.

_Slam!_

Next door.

_Slam!_

His door was kicked in and he glanced back and away from the rain hitting the window he sat next to. The man was dressed in an armored suit of orange and black, had gray hair, and an eye patch. He was loaded down with weapons too, carried himself like an experienced soldier. He was also leveling a handgun at him. A smirk fell across his face and-

**BANG!**

The Beast roared as the bullet pierced his right shoulder and before he could move away he was tackled out of the window and onto the overhanging roof. There were gasps below from the invaders, some pausing in their attacks on the objects to stare up and point in disgust. 

Slade stepped out on to the overhang and laughed pitying as he approached the Beast.

"Come on. Get up and fight. I hate prey that's not a challenge."

The Beast ignored him and just let his head rest against the stone below him as his wings fell down around him.

He just-didn't care anymore. He'd had a taste of love and he hoped his daydream fantasies would travel with him into whatever afterlife would accept him.

What was the point without the man he loved?

Slade sighed and put away his handgun before pulling out his sword. Stepping onto the creature's back he raised the weapon-prepared to bring it down and into the Beast's skull.

Until-

"SLADE STOP!"

Slade and the Beast both glanced down and gasped out, "Dick?" 

The young man was atop Eleanor, with his godfather behind him, face red and livid. 

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DO IT SLADE!"

Gritting his teeth, Slade ignored the demand and brought the sword down to impale the skull and-!

The Beast rose up and caught the handle of the blade, digging his claws through Slade's armored gloves and into his skin. Slade got one hand free and flashed a dagger across the Beast's arm. Growling through the pain the Beast threw his opponent across the rooftop as lightning began flashing through the rain. The Beast leapt over Slade and hid among the gargoyles and shadows.

Below Dick was doing his own growling. Lock his godfather in Arkham! Coerce him into a marriage! Lock them in the tiger ring! Tear up the Manor! Hunt down the Beast!

No!

"CHARGE!" Barbara yelled from where she was perched on Haly's shoulder.

At the order Eleanor stomped forward knocking away weapons and the invaders just as Dick jumped down and rushed through the front door, drawing on his memory to find the quickest way to the Beast's room. Also drawing on his training to leap over banisters and swing around corners. 

If Slade hurt him-!

Back outside on the rooftop Slade darted forward into the shadows after the Beast and cursed when his sword cut along stone instead of skin.

Growling he yelled, "Come out and fight you coward! What is it Beast? Don't tell me you were in love with him? What could you even give him? A dusty old Manor, no money, no power-only the presence of a monster? Why would he want you? I can give him everything you can't and don't worry-once I take off your head-I'll take good care of him. In my arms...in my bed."

Roaring the Beast leapt from the shadows and tackled Slade, giving into animalistic rage. No thought. No logic. Just rage as his claws sliced, his wings flared and teeth longed to reach out and tear open the man's throat. 

Never. he would never touch him. NEVER! Dick would never be in this man's arms-his bed. NEVER! The Beast would rip him limb from limb first! 

A scramble here, a yowl there and Slade got in a slice to his thigh while the Beast brought his claws down through the armor of his chest. All the blood, the adrenaline of the fight, the storm, the others shouting up from below in victory as Eleanor won them the fray. All of it made his animal blood sing out. The desire to tear-to devour. But it made him clumsy and Slade managed to knock him over halfway off the roof.

"It's over monster," Slade said, pulling out his gun again and leveling it at his face.

"No!"

Something flew through the air and hit Slade's wrist, causing him to drop the gun and the Beast to grab him by the throat, turn them around and hold the soldier out over the empty air. Growling he leaned forward, fangs flashing in the lightning as thunder crashed. Take him by the shoulders-rip out the throat and-!

It was only when his eyes fell on the claw marks on Slade's arm that he regained some sense. They were just like those on Dick's arm. Ones put there by his own claws...

Shaking his head, he stepped back, ripped the sword from the soldier's waist, threw it out and into the darkness below and growled directly into his face.

"Leave or I'll kill you."

He threw away Slade in disgust, who slumped against the wall, and tried to breathe. Well he did until his breath caught at the sight of what lay a few steps away. He walked over and picked it up between his claws, holding it up to the sky to catch sight of it in the lightning. It was a little golden bird!

A familiar-

"Beast!?"

He glanced up and smiled, his blood cooling at the sight.

"Dick."

Up on his room's balcony, Dick was looking down at him with worry and dare he imagine it...love-no probably just caring. Still-he had come back!

Smiling, the Beast stepped off of the rooftop and flew up to the balcony, landing on the opposite side of the banister and reaching out to take Dick's hands in his own.

"You came back."

Dick smiled and pulled his hands loose to throw his arms around the Beast's neck instead-a hug!

"Of course I did," Dick whispered into his neck before pulling back and continuing with, "I couldn't let them kill you."

Smiling, the Beast handed over the small golden bird clasp, "Thank you."

Taking it Dick leaned forward and pressed his face into the Beast's chest.

"I thought I was going to be too late."

The Beast shook his head and wrapped his arms around the one he loved. He was back! He came back! He did at least care.

"What happened?"

Turning his head Dick explained how Slade had attempted to have his godfather locked into an asylum, had lead the attack on the Manor, locked he and Haly in with the tigers and even how Barbara's bravery with the tigers and quick thinking had gotten them free. 

"So that's where she was," the Beast whispered.

"Yeah, the little stowaway."

"Dick. I-need to tell you something."

Dick raised his head from the Beast's chest and met his eyes with a, "Yes?" Staring into his eyes, the Beast somehow found the courage and he quickly said, "Dick, I lo-AHHH!"

Dick's eyes shot down to see that Slade had climbed the wall and had buried a dagger into the Beast's ribs.

"SLADE!"

The solider tore it back out, prepared for another stab as the Beast curled around the banister in pain and he began bleeding. Furious beyond measure, Dick hooked his hands over the banister, threw himself over it and speared a kick into Slade's face, feeling immense pride as he heard three patterned cracks beneath his foot. Using the rebound against the stone below him Dick pushed himself back over the railing and reached for the one he loved, pulling the Beast over the banister and leaning him back against it. 

"Beast-are you OK?"

The Beast growled and nodded, "Fine. It hurts but I'll be fine."

He fingered-clawed the wound and his wings flared out in pain.

"Come on stop picking at that."

They both smiled at one another, each recognizing when they had first saved one another. Dick took a step back, looking down at the small golden bird clasp still sitting in his palm before glancing back up and speaking.

"You had something to tell me?"

The Beast opened his mouth to speak and-

**BANG!**

The Beast roared again as a bullet ripped through his wing. He turned and growled, finding that Dick's kick to Slade's face had knocked the hunter back onto the overhang roof below and that he had recovered his handgun. Beyond any humanity the Beast reached forward and ripped a sharp sliver of stone from the wall before throwing it at his enemy. He couldn't fight the predatory pleased smile when his opponent failed to dodge it and it pierced his chest, causing him to stumble and finally fall to his doom.

Finally! No more!

He was free to tell Dick that he loved him. So, he turned back to the young man and then frowned. Dick was staring at him-like he wasn't really seeing him and his jaw had dropped open. 

"Dick?"

"I-"

His voice was raspy and the Beast was so caught up in the mystery it was a sudden rush to his senses when he smelled the blood. He glanced over at his wing, spotting the clear hole made by the bullet and finally looked down to see blood blossoming across Dick's chest.

"I-uh..."

And then he fell back as the Beast's eyes widened and he darted forward to catch him.

"NO!"

He was shouting, roaring, for the others, Alfred, for a doctor, someone, ANYONE!

"No Dick No! You can't leave me!"

"Ah, uh," he was choking, staring upwards and out in shock.

"Dick! Look at me! Please!"

Hearing him Dick turned his head towards him and reached up with a shaky hand to press into his cheek. He forced on a weak smile as his shaking grew worse. The Beast shook his head as tears stung his eyes, he gazed around quickly and his eyes landed on the familiar cloak that Dick had worn-which had probably fallen from his shoulders when he had thrown the bird clasp. The Beast quickly snatched it up where it lay behind them , tore a corner off and pressed it into the bullet wound, covering his shocked love with the rest.

His eyes went back to his loves and he whispered, "Shh, don't try to speak. You're going to be OK."

Dick smiled at him again, full of pity before his hand dropped, his head fell back, he failed to breathe another gasp and his eyes clouded over.

"NO! Dick you can't! You can't do this to me! I-I...I love you."

He heard the characteristic steps of the objects behind him, but didn't turn around-only buried his face in Dick's neck and let the tears spill over. 

"Nonononono..."

The objects looked at their master and back to the rose sitting just inside the doorway. The last plant fiber broke and the very final petal fell, dropping straight down with his companions beneath the floating stem. 

It was over.

The End

It was only Ace running in barking that made the others raise their faces to the sky as streams of light began falling down around the duo on the balcony. Feeling something akin to sunlight the Beast stopped crying for a moment and glanced up just as a fog enveloped him, raising him up into the air. He began shaking and white light blinded him as he felt his muscles contracting. Pain was all he knew and light for a long minute until he found himself pressed against the stone floor of his balcony. Stone that was harder than he recalled. 

"Master?" he heard Alfred distantly ask and pushed himself up.

Only, the hand beneath him was-HUMAN! He gasped and brought up his other hand-again human! Glancing down he saw no more black leathery skin or fuzzy fur. No updraft behind him so-no wings! 

He was human again!

He beamed and glanced up and over at his family, noticing that all of them were glowing and growing. In less than a minute they were all human again as well, throwing up their hands in joy and embracing one another. Bruce himself found himself racing over to embrace Alfred, the kindly old butler who had raised him since childhood, now human, grew stiff at the contact but relaxed and wrapped his charge in a hug.

"It's so wonderful to have you back Master."

"You too Alfred. All of you!"

He turned out of the embrace and scooped up Tim as the clouds in the sky were pushed away by springtime sunlight and the Manor's dark stone turned back to bright hues of color. 

"Bruce-"

He almost turned to embrace Jason but he found him glancing down with sorrow out at the balcony. It took a full three seconds for it to click and-

He turned and found that Dick still lay on the stone floor of the balcony, the only difference before the broken spell, was the blood now congealing on his chest and stomach. Wound-still there. Bullet-still in him. Head-still tilted back. Eyes-still clouded over in death.

"No. You have to save him!" he shouted into the sky.

"Enchantress! This wasn't his fault! He didn't deserve this!"

He rushed over and fell to his knees beside the limp body, reaching out and pulling him into his chest.

"Come on Dick, you can't-"

No breath. No heartbeat.

In the distance he heard the rest of the Manor coming alive and even familiar rough shouts of Dick's name. Haly. His godfather was on his way.

On his way to a corpse.

"Bruce," Jason said but he was ignored.

"...the spell is broken Bruce. It means he loved you too."

He only buried his face into the cloak covered body and screamed.

_Certain as the sun_  
_Rising in the east_  
_Tale as old as time,_  
_Song as old as rhyme_  
_Beauty and the beast!_

_Tale as old as time,_  
_Song as old as rhyme_  
_Beauty and the beast!_

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the read.
> 
> Now I'm off to school!
> 
> P.S. I'm considering an alternate ending...maybe. As I said I've decided to go back to school as well so I'm a bit busy and will be for about ten more weeks. 
> 
> I'll try to work on it. Promise!


End file.
